Just spoke with Jodi: they’re still in the hospital. JT’s scope went well. The doctors don’t celebrate until the biopsies come back negative but everything was visually clear and healthy in his esophagus and stomach and that’s celebratory news to us. The surgeon was able to place the G-tube so JT has gone from having a “nose friend” to having a new “belly friend.” They just started running feeds through it today and Jodi is going to try a bolus feed tonight before he goes to sleep. He was on morphine yesterday and complained of pain this morning but as the day wore on he seemed to get more and more comfortable.

New news: Dr. Filipovich ordered a full-body CAT scan for tomorrow; that’s why they’re still in Cincinnati. JT’s IGM levels are hyper-elevated and the doctors don’t have any idea as to why this is the case. The scan will take a good hard look everywhere to ensure that there isn’t a “node” of infection hiding somewhere. It’s another procedure requiring anesthesia and they won’t put him under two days in a row – hence the longer stay in the hospital.

Jodi thinks that his skin is worsening on his legs. Getting this stopped is the main thing right now – we keep thinking about Dr. Filipovich’s use of the term “irreversible. 

But there’s good reason for thanksgiving tonight – his procedure went well, the initial feedback is that the scope looked clean, and he now has a G-tube. And there’s also plenty of reason to keep the prayers coming: that his skin heals quickly and easily around the G-tube site, that there are no hiccups with the G-tube, that his CAT scan looks completely clear, and, as always, earnest prayers that the GVHD gets stopped, right away, and that he’s able to heal from the damage it has done.

Justy is staying at my parents’ place in Ohio so I drove over after work tonight to hang out with him. That boy is a delightful child, a pure infusion of joy and laughter and life, a blessing beyond what we could have imagined. It will be good for the four of us to be together again, maybe not until Friday evening at this point. I’d appreciate prayers for safe traveling mercies as Jodi and JT make the big drive north and east tomorrow evening and Friday morning. Thank you.