An update about Derek and Angela

Hello Everyone,

An Update On Angela And Derek.

Overall Derek has been doing okay.  He is still pretty fatigued and takes plenty of naps.  He has energy after resting, but it seems like eye pain from swelling is still there.  Both the Oncologist and Radiologist have said that this is common following radiation and for now they don't seem too concerned.  So Derek rests when he needs to.  It seems like his taste for foods may s l o w l y be coming back.  

Pressure behind his eyes seems to come and go "randomly", but I know it is not random. I see patterns that I will not discuss here. But random is just the word for "we don't know exactly why", but there is always a reason.  There are two patterns that I will talk about.  First if Derek has some kind of impact, like he falls or bumps into something, he feels more pressure. So we do our best to avoid that.  Also, I do everything I can to reduce stress in his life, but sometimes even the strangest things can be stressful for an 8 year old with a brain tumor and I strongly believe that stress can cause the body as many if not more issues than almost anything. I know stress can produce pressure too.   

So he continues to rest as we wait for an update from the Study.

Angela is also resting as she is still very tired. Her drain tube was removed today that drained any extra build up from her surgery. The output was low, so the doctor felt it was safe to remove it.  Pain has been managed with a reasonable amount of pain meds.  And per her discharge papers, none of the indicators of trouble appear to be present.  So I will keep an eye on her but I am taking this as a good sign.  She definitively is not up and moving and prefers to sleep and rest. Her main complaint now is a nausea feeling.  She is not vomiting, but feels nauseous most of the time. Hopefully that will subside soon.  But hopefully in time all will be healed.      

One good piece of news is that she will NOT need to go in for a second surgery to remove the lymph-nodes. There was the possibility that she was going to need to go and have a second surgery.  This will not be the case. She is very happy about that.

Keep praying for total healing for Derek and Angela.