How is Max?

We never did touch on the official results of Max's last scans. Andy & I were able to speak with one of the radiology doctors and look at the scans with him and Max's oncologist. It appears that nothing has changed.

The spot is still there.

It hasn't increased or decreased in size. It's just there.

With Dr. Roberts guidance weve decided to ramp up treatment a little and add topotecan (chemo) to Max's diet. He's been on this drug before and did well with it. We're not sure if he'll take it orally or IV. Max has a clinic appointment tomorrow and we'll find out then.

We are disappointed the radiation Max received in October didn't do more. I think I was hanging on to this notion/hope/wish that the radiation was going to take care of that spot and the scans would show a much smaller spot or nothing at all. But it's still there.

On a lighter note, Max is weighing in just shy of 50lbs! He's a little fatty now! His legs are all filled out, he has a belly and his spine and shoulder blades don't stick out. He looks great and feels great. He gets the Nutren Jr. formula all night a 2-3 times per day, plus we finally got our act together and figured out how to get those veggies into him without cooking, grinding, puree-ing, and straining them to make them go through the IV tube: Juicer. Duh! It hit me in the head like a bag o' carrots last weekend as I was throwing out the last batch I had made that was going bad in the frig. We picked up a juicer that day and love it! The kids have a blast with it, too. Max's buddy, Jack, helped and tried carrot/broccoli juice. He liked it! (blech)

Max is in a taekwondo class which is perfect for balance, coordination and aggression. Nothing like punching and kicking air for 90 minutes to clam a six yr old boy down. And he loves his white jacket and pants. Cub Scouts is going great - another cool uniform to wear.

Overall, Max looks great and feels mostly good most of the time. He still had problems with throwing up; we think he has a super sensitive gag reflex more than him feeling nauseous. He enjoys running around a lot more and doesn't tire out so quickly.