5/07/2007

Nutrition update

Max's nutrition has made an amazing recovery from four weeks ago. You'll recall at the end of March post that he had just received his g-tube and was still suffering the effects of not eating much for a few weeks plus the flu. We had also come to find out that he was osteopenic, meaning he didn't have enough minerals in his bones. The g-tube is amazing. Max weighs close to 40lbs now and has more energy. He's gaining muscle mass and his limbs don't look so painfully skinny. His face has filled out and he smiles a lot. Across the board, his calcium, mag, and phosphorous are within the upper range of normal, which is good. Further, his blood counts were high enough that he didn't need a transfusion this week, which I'm attributing to the daily doses of 8mg of melatonin he's getting at bedtime, which has been shown in studies to stimulate platelet and WBC production.

With this round 8 of chemo (which he started today), we are going to try skipping the G-CSF shots post-chemo and see what the melatonin can do on its own. If it works, we may stick with it as we think the G-CSF shots might be responsible for some if not all the mild leg/joint pain he's been experiencing lately.

5 comments:

Randee said...

Such good news!! Praise God for answered prayer and for wonderful parents full of strength and love and willingness to do what it takes. Love you, Randee

Anonymous said...

Hi Andy,

Fantastic news on this last update. I love trying to skip the g-csf shots.

The Pet Fish clip is adorable. Keep up the good work. You guys are amazing parents.

Meryl

Anonymous said...

That is great news! Always thinking of you guys and praying for the best. Max always has a great smile on his face in the pictures you post.
from your old hood in RH,
Carrie Boyko (and Roy, Olivia & Emma)

Anonymous said...

Such good news... Prayers are answered. With all the energy that is going on around him he is winning this fight! Go Max! And kudos to mom and dad for they are the strenth behind it all. Nana

Anonymous said...

Wow. I just stumbled on this. It sounds like you and your family have been through a lot. Sounds like your son is quite a trooper! Good luck to him and you for continued sucess with his treatment.

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