Sunday, April 26, 2009

Jimmy Red Eyes

Hey folks. Hope Spring is treating you all well. By far the best weekend of the year here in the Forest City.

So, yeah, it's been a while, huh? I hear ya.

I'm happy that the general consensus among readers is that no news is good news. And for the most part that rings true here with the Taylors.

The past month or so have been quite uneventful, medically speaking. We did have a less-than-stellar hearing appointment (hearing loss is a credible and not uncommon side-effect) but we feel because he had a serious amount of ear wax buildup it may have contributed to his low scores. And that's not just a parent in denial. We treated JT with nightly ear drops and four days later Jenn pulled out a hunk of wax the size of a Jeep. James sat up, said "I can hear!" and gave his mother a hug.

JT has steadily gained energy and we've really got to do more with less worry that JT will crash mid-stride. Now that we are aren't forced to wear snow pants and bundle up as much the freedom of bulky outerwear has led to the freedom of play. And it certainly doesn't hurt that cold season is in our rear-view mirror.

So, the past week has been sorta interesting. JT has been on April break and Thursday he went into the office with me. I had my yearly eye appointment at 9:30am and he tagged along (C'mon, is there really a better way to spend a vacation when your 6?!). Anyhow, his left eye was sort of red and the doctor tells us that he's coming down with conjunctivitis. Wonderful.

We get leave and get the script filled and on Friday it's really not looking any better. As a matter of fact the right eye is now red. And the left is getting puffier and he has plenty of eye boogers. By Saturday morning, both eyes are very puffy. Well, actually, they're swollen shut. Now James is blind. He can't open his eyes. He looks as though a prize fighter took him to task. After yet another talk with his oncologist it's decided that James needs to go see a doctor. Off to Maine Med.

The best guess anyone can come up with is that he had an allergic reaction to the eye drops! He spent last night in the hospital for observation (where I called play-by-play for the Red Sox-Yankees game at his bedside) and he got out just before noon today. The eyes are much less puffy and he can see his way around. The upside, he gets a few extra days of vacation. An, no, they won't be spent at my office.

I'll try and post some new photos and updates sooner rather than later. Although I've missed typing, I'm sure you can imagine that with James' upbeat spirits and energy levels it's tough not to put some things on hold.

For those keeping score at home. JT has an MRI on 5/8 and his seventh chemo admit round begins on 5/11.




Talk to you later. Love to you all.


dct


Eyes swollen shut. Sorry for the clarity, it's from my phone.




I can see! It's tough, but I can see!