Remission!

The results of Anya's bone marrow aspirate from yesterday showed that the number of leukemia blasts in her bone marrow is under 5%, which means she has entered remission! Praise the Lord! While this is wonderful news and definitely an answer to prayers it is by no means the end of the road, nor is it a surprise to the doctors. The goal all along has been for Anya to enter remission by the end of the Induction Phase (scheduled to last 4-6 weeks). Monday completed the fourth week of treatment, so Anya is on schedule and can begin her second phase of treatment. This transition to the next phase is marked by some very encouraging developments.
Ever since Anya came home the two hardest things have been keeping up with her constant and frequently changing needs and administering her medicines. Now that she has finished week four of treatment she no longer needs to take the steroid that she was on (Dexamethasone). This steroid (2 pills taken by mouth twice a day) was the cause of Anya's moodiness, irritability, and incredible appetite/craving for salt, carbs, and protein. As a result of this steroid she also had to take Miralax (a laxative), and Lactulose (a stool softener) to keep her bowels moving, and Prevacid to reduce heartburn. Provided she does not have any problems with bowel movements and heartburn the next few days we can phase out of these meds. The other meds she was on can also be phased out this week. Fluconazole is being taken to avoid infection, but with Anya's healthy white blood cell counts way up her risk of infection has significantly decreased, so the Fluconazole can be discontinued this week as well. Anya was recieving Atarax to keep a rash from spreading, but the rash has disappeared (praise God!) and she can go off of the Atarax this week as long as it does not return.
We have already noticed a significant difference in Anya after being off the steroid for a day. Her moods have become more even and she has laughed quite a bit more. Her appetite has reduced significantly, although she is still eating quite a bit more than she did before she was sick. Although she is more mobile/active than before she is still in bed most of the day watching TV. We make her walk from room to room throughout the day, but she cries each time she walks, partly from fear and partly from the muscular atrophy throughout her body as a result of laying in bed for the past month. We are excited each time we see a little bit of Anya's personality return, and it seems that she is becoming herself a little more each day.
Unless the Lord heals Anya we still have a LONG road ahead of us. The goal is to keep the leukemia in remission for the next 3-5 years. If that can be done then Anya's chance of relapsing will be almost nill. However, at any time in the next 3-5 years Anya could relapse which would be a serious setback to her recovery. She still requires almost constant attention and care and is making weekly trips to the clinic and hospital. We still desparately need your love and prayers and are so grateful for all you have done. We will continue to keep you updated as we learn new things.