This past week with Lucas

Last Tuesday morning we saw Dr. Burris. We discussed different medication options and agreed to take him off the Banzel (which we had already begun to do on our own). Before beginning Depakote, we are going with the extended release tablet of the Keppra. It is a 500mg tablet, about 2 1/2 times larger than the Banzel (or the average ibuprofen tablet), and it must be swallowed whole. Part of the tablet is absorbed in the stomach and part in the intestine, to extend the release of the drug. To crush or cut the tablet negates the extended release. We began the Keppra XR Thursday morning. Yesterday we added an evening dose and Wednesday we will increase the evening dose from one to two tablets. He has had no complications swallowing it even though it is so big and cannot be chewed into smaller pieces, praise the good Lord! Thus far this morning he has only had 29 seizures and he has been up for nearly 3 hours. This is still far more than the ZERO we desire, but it is a great improvement from the 65 he had had yesterday by the same time. This is wonderful news and we pray that within the next week or two we can celebrate a total annihilation of the seizures. :)

Last Wednesday afternoon we received a rather lightweight box about 3' x 2.5'. It contained a much smaller prize of the Bumbo potty seat! Lucas loved his Bumbo chair and would still be using it if he wasn't so ginormous. :) I imagine the potty training journey will not be a short trip, but we've got to begin it sometime, right? One of the signs of readiness is extended periods of dryness. This is something Lucas has been having for a few months and I decided it is time to see what he thinks about sitting on the potty.

Thus far, we have had two poops and a pee! This morning, actually was the first time ever that Lucas stayed dry all through the night! We are very excited and immeasurably proud of him. Through all of his battles, he inevitably comes forth in victory and we are overjoyed. Things are not as we would prefer, but the celebrations along the way carry us through like wings of hope. God is good. He is so good. :)

I've added a few more pictures to the Random Spring '09 collection and some pictures, mostly of animals, from Lucas' first trip to the zoo. The links are below. :)

In closing, I would like to ask any and all of you who feel so compelled to join us in prayer for a few others. Marc's cousin Alex who had surgery a few months back for chiari malformation (a very successful surgery and recovery, Praise God!) has had a recent resurgence of the Lyme disease that has afflicted him for a few years now. They have also just been informed that his brother Tyler also has the infection and it appears to be as severe as Alex's. Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection carried by ticks and passed to humans by a bite. It affects the body in many ways such as pain, often severe pain, throughout the body but more focused in the joints, as well as in visual disturbances, rash, and fevers. Also, dear friends of mine have this past week been fighting in prayer for their adorable son CJ. He got sick very quickly and ended up in a medically induced coma while they treat him in the pediatric ICU for pneumonia in both lungs, rhino virus (the common cold), influenza A, swine flu and a yet unknown (last update I got) bacterial infection.

We know that God is the Great Physician and pray that His wisdom would be the only wisdom applied in all decisions for Sandy and Maria (Alex's and Tyler's parents) and Bill and Mei Yee (CJ's parents) and the medical teams working with these wonderful boys and their families. We pray peace and the comfort of the Lord over and through them and, of course, their complete healing and recovery.

Thanks and Blessings to you all!

The DeSantis Clan

Random Spring 2009

Lucas' first trip to the St. Louis Zoo