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The plan today was for Joshua's monthly check-up, Vincristin, and spinal tap. Because Joshua's spinal tap requires sedation, he has to go to clinic without food or drink. Today Joshua woke up with a stomach ache. I assumed it was either because he was really hungry or there were more issues with his liver. On the drive to the hospital, Joshua continued to complain about his tummy and began to dry heave. I was concerned.

When we arrived at the clinic, Ms. Emily, our nurse, was very kind to us both. She quickly accessed his port and started him on intraveneous fluids. It turns out he was just dehydrated. Dr. Zeiber checked him from head to toe, including all of his numbers, and said she thought he was doing great. She also gave me several suggestions about how to avoid the dehydration on Joshua's next sedation visit. Strangely, she thought it was very likely that this was due to his rapid growth (another quarter of an inch and one pound lost). I guess he just has a very active metabolism right now!

The spinal tap went well, with no complications. By the end of the day, Joshua was eating popcorn and hanging out like any other day.