Started New Medicine

They started a new medicine yesterday (Dasatinib) that fights the Leukemia but has the side effect of retaining fluid. He gained five pounds last night. They gave him Lasix to make him go to the bathroom every 20-30 minutes. But he was so dizzy and his blood pressure goes low and his heart races that they are trying a motion sickness patch that goes behind his ear. I hope it helps. He has been so nauseated all day that this night time nurse is trying some new options. We are hopeful.
Because of the extra fluid they did a chest X-ray to make sure no fluid are in the lungs. It came out clean! He is taking 14 different medicines to prevent ulcers, decrease uric acid, irritable bowel med, anti-biodics to prevent infections, anti-virals, a Leukemia medicine, and a type of Chemo, etc. Once he gets these then they just monitor everything else and adjust by giving pain medication and nausea meds, etc.

His white blood cell count is 127,000 today so it's going down. His platelets are low and so he is at a very high risk for bleeding. They are watching him very closely but think by tomorrow he will have a platelet transfusion.
We found out that if this new drug (Dasatinib) works (which is only temporary and works in 30-40% of people) then he can come home for about a month and be able to function normally. Then they will prepare for the bone marrow transplant and afterwards stay in the hospital around 6 weeks. Then it will take around 1 year to recover. They said he could go outside but not in any confined spaces with lots of people. His immune system is so low he WILL have problems if he doesn’t obey orders. Bishop Fivas came to see us today and to give me a blessing. After learning Van could go outside he said, Hey buddy, we will just have to take your son Josh, age 5, and go on scooter rides in the mountains all the time while you are getting better. He has such faith and hope that Van will get better, it is contagious!

If you have known Van, even as a little child, he had to have his hair just right. Each day he has asked me to fix his hair or get him a BYU baseball hat so he won't have bed head. Yesterday he came to and said he had a great idea. He asked our daughter Nicole (who is a cosmetologist) to come and buzz his head to 1/2 inch. She came last night and he is so happy with his hair because he doesn't have to worry about it anymore. He looks so handsome. I should have been doing this all along.

Van isn’t allowed off the 8th floor of the hospital because of infection, etc. They offer a 30 minute Sacrament Meeting downstairs to the rest of the patients but since we couldn’t go they were able to bring the Sacrament to our room. The minute the Priesthood holders stepped into the room the spirit was sooooo strong. Tears just streamed as they read the Sacrament Prayers which brought a whole new perspective. That was definitely a bonus for us today.
Bishop Fivas came today and taught us the gospel. He read Mosiah 24:14. “And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. This was such a comfort to Van tonight because today was a day of suffering. “
Thanks for all the e-mails, calls, blog posts, and everything you are doing to help my family. I couldn’t ask for better family or friends. We love you!