Hungry Boy

The difference from this hospital stay compared to the last hospital stay has been night and day. Last time Jackson was sick, and tired and weak. He ate very seldom and when he did eat, he would eat a few bites then throw it all up. This time around has been almost the exact opposite. Jackson has been eating non-stop and he is eating strange combinations of things. One morning for breakfast he had a cheese quesadilla and a Butterfinger milkshake. He ordered chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes with gravy with another main course of chicken stir-fry. He has had a big dill pickle with a side of chips and salsa. He loves the Butterfinger milkshakes. And for days pretty much the only thing he would eat was chips and salsa- now it makes sense to us. The chemo drugs destroy your taste buds so nothing tastes good but the salsa had such a strong flavor that he could actually taste it so that's why he loved it so much.

The hospital has room service and Jackson can order pretty much anything that his little heart desires. One morning I took a picture of his breakfast. I thought it was funny to see a tray full of food for one little guy. If you look closely you can see Frosted Flakes, a cupcake, pancakes with bacon, and a Butterfinger milkshake. He ate almost everything except for the bacon and the milkshake.

Last night he had a taco for dinner. When it came up from the kitchen, he smelled it and immediately started dry heaving. So, I moved it away from him. I asked him if I could eat it since I didn't get dinner, and he said "sure". I took one bite and said that it was good. He asked if he could try it. he tasted it and LOVED it. He ate the whole thing and asked me to order up 2 more. That wasn't the first time that he's gagged at something then ate a ton of it a few minutes later. He also gags at the smell of corn dogs, but then eats them right up.

His chemo appetite is something that takes some getting used to for sure. I wonder what will happen when we come home and go back to my regular rule of "take it or leave it".

Because he is eating he has had more energy, and another piece of good news that goes along with eating is that he is no longer loosing weight. He actually has gained a little bit this round and is back to his original pre-treatment weight.

** On a side note- overall this round has been wonderful but today was eventful because it was the first time this round that he has thrown up. The chemo drug that he got last night (CisPlatin) is supposedly famous to cause nausea- and boy oh boy the nausea has been bad all day today even with the use of multiple anti-nausea drugs. Hopefully by this time tomorrow night the nausea will have passed.

Even with the nausea and the vomiting, Jackson has been in very good spirits and has been to the playroom and ate dinner outside tonight. I love it when he feels good, it makes me think "we can do this!".