Isaac was discharged yesterday, around noon. All tests came back negative, including his blood culture. They also swabbed his nose to check for a few strains of the flu as well as RSV and those were negative, as well.
We arrived home around 1:15 pm, and by 4:00 pm, the fever had returned. I called the Oncology after hours clinic, and the on-call doctor advised me to take him back the the Emergency Room and have him re-admitted. I felt a little uneasy about taking him back, so I held off. The fever did continue through the night, but tapered off this morning. He is still a little warm, high 99's.
It is extremely frustrating. The fever could be coming from numerous sources. Alexis has been sick with a virus, complete with a fever and cough. It could also be teething... his first front tooth just popped through about a week and a half ago, and the second about to come through, too.
The downside, is that he is not drinking well. He is pushing away all of his bottles. He will take sips through a regular cup, but that is not enough.
I am waiting to see if the fever spikes, and I will call his Oncologist before they leave for the day at 4:00 pm.
Oh, and may I add... that when his line was de-accessed, the needle was bent. Thank you, E.R. nurse.
ER LABS:
Hemoglobin: 11
Platelets: 253
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Hot Potato + ER + Admission
Isaac developed a fever yesterday around 3:00 pm. I was out Easter shopping, and did not return until about 4:30 pm, and found Isaac and Daddy cuddling on the couch. Isaac was not feeling well, at all. I immediately put in a call to Oncology, and the on-call Oncologist called me back about 40 minutes later and advised me to take him to the Emergency Room right away, and she made a call and informed them that we were on our way.
I didn't get there until about 7:00 pm. We waited about 10-15 minutes, then he was called back.
Vitals were taken. I forgot his drug list, so I had to try to remember the gazillion prescriptions he is taking, along with all the doses. You would think they would have it in the system?
We got back into a room, and waited a bit. A male nurse comes in to access his port. A sidenote: I used to frequent another blog, Pablove. Pablo's father blogged, that if a nurse asks you what size needle they use to access the port it is a huge red flag. You can read the story here. Well, first thing the nurse asked me was, "What size needle do they use to access his port?" My first thought was, "Oh, crap." I told him that I honestly do not know. I mean the nurses on the Oncology floor obviously know what they are doing, it is a daily routine for them, and they have not told me what size needle they use. The nurse leaves to grab his supplies, and the "needle" and comes back. Sweat starts pouring instantly from my head. I got really, really nervous. We lay my little man on the table and he proceeds to access his line. I'm going to tell you. I should have listened to Pablo's Dad. I should have listened to my gut. The nurse cleans and goes to access, and totally puts the needle way to high in his port, and SIDEWAYS. Facing down. Thankfully, he did not miss, and he got good blood return, but dude. Could you not aim? He was shaking, so I knew he was as nervous as I was. Child life came in, along with another male nurse to help. I was thinking, "Man, do they really need all four of us to help with accessing a 11-month-old? The Child Life lady had a Disney Cars book, you know, the ones that have the buttons that you push when you are reading along... Every time she would push the button, Isaac would dance and bounce his belly up and down. He couldn't rock out completely because the other male nurse was holding down his legs. (Like he was going to race off the table or something...) These nurses need some serious 101 from the Oncology ladies.
After that mishap, his first dose of heavy duty antibiotics and some fluids... we were transferred by wheelchair to the Oncology floor, room 318. Isaac was not a happy camper last night, so Mommy is home tonight to get some much needed sleep. Daddy is taking over for this evening.
The bummer? Isaac spent his 1st Christmas in the hospital, and now will be spending his 1st Easter there as well.
We are hoping for a Monday morning release, if all tests come back A-OK.
I didn't get there until about 7:00 pm. We waited about 10-15 minutes, then he was called back.
Vitals were taken. I forgot his drug list, so I had to try to remember the gazillion prescriptions he is taking, along with all the doses. You would think they would have it in the system?
We got back into a room, and waited a bit. A male nurse comes in to access his port. A sidenote: I used to frequent another blog, Pablove. Pablo's father blogged, that if a nurse asks you what size needle they use to access the port it is a huge red flag. You can read the story here. Well, first thing the nurse asked me was, "What size needle do they use to access his port?" My first thought was, "Oh, crap." I told him that I honestly do not know. I mean the nurses on the Oncology floor obviously know what they are doing, it is a daily routine for them, and they have not told me what size needle they use. The nurse leaves to grab his supplies, and the "needle" and comes back. Sweat starts pouring instantly from my head. I got really, really nervous. We lay my little man on the table and he proceeds to access his line. I'm going to tell you. I should have listened to Pablo's Dad. I should have listened to my gut. The nurse cleans and goes to access, and totally puts the needle way to high in his port, and SIDEWAYS. Facing down. Thankfully, he did not miss, and he got good blood return, but dude. Could you not aim? He was shaking, so I knew he was as nervous as I was. Child life came in, along with another male nurse to help. I was thinking, "Man, do they really need all four of us to help with accessing a 11-month-old? The Child Life lady had a Disney Cars book, you know, the ones that have the buttons that you push when you are reading along... Every time she would push the button, Isaac would dance and bounce his belly up and down. He couldn't rock out completely because the other male nurse was holding down his legs. (Like he was going to race off the table or something...) These nurses need some serious 101 from the Oncology ladies.
After that mishap, his first dose of heavy duty antibiotics and some fluids... we were transferred by wheelchair to the Oncology floor, room 318. Isaac was not a happy camper last night, so Mommy is home tonight to get some much needed sleep. Daddy is taking over for this evening.
The bummer? Isaac spent his 1st Christmas in the hospital, and now will be spending his 1st Easter there as well.
We are hoping for a Monday morning release, if all tests come back A-OK.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Chemo treatment #13 & Scan Results
Only 9 more weeks of Chemotherapy left and 2 actual infusions. TWO infusions. Did you read that? TWO! The end IS in sight. I can see it!
Isaac did awesome today, partially because we are now out of isolation, so no more closets. No more door codes. No more claustrophobia for Mommy. We now are in little "cubby" type rooms, with small 6 foot walls dividing each room. No doors, just curtains. It sorta looks like an E.R. setting.
I took him in his blue car. We had to actually wait in the waiting room.
The nurse took us back after about 10 minutes, and got his weight. 10.8 kg (23.8 pounds)! That is the most he has ever weighed. He has been eating and drinking great, which is a blessing. He had Mommy worried crazy for the first 8 weeks. I am thankful that he has made a change in the right direction.
His other nurse came in and started his Zofran (5 mg). It dripped over 15 minutes, then Mary came in to see us. She was quite surprised to see how well he is doing. Oh, and we got the results of his scans... NED! No Evidence of Disease!! I'm so happy. He will have additional scans at the end of treatment in June, which includes an abdominal ultrasound, chest xray, CT scan and possible MRI.
After Mary left, his nurse was back to administer his Dactinomycin and Vincristine-2.
We do not have to go back for 3 weeks.
Isaac did awesome today, partially because we are now out of isolation, so no more closets. No more door codes. No more claustrophobia for Mommy. We now are in little "cubby" type rooms, with small 6 foot walls dividing each room. No doors, just curtains. It sorta looks like an E.R. setting.
I took him in his blue car. We had to actually wait in the waiting room.
The nurse took us back after about 10 minutes, and got his weight. 10.8 kg (23.8 pounds)! That is the most he has ever weighed. He has been eating and drinking great, which is a blessing. He had Mommy worried crazy for the first 8 weeks. I am thankful that he has made a change in the right direction.
His other nurse came in and started his Zofran (5 mg). It dripped over 15 minutes, then Mary came in to see us. She was quite surprised to see how well he is doing. Oh, and we got the results of his scans... NED! No Evidence of Disease!! I'm so happy. He will have additional scans at the end of treatment in June, which includes an abdominal ultrasound, chest xray, CT scan and possible MRI.
After Mary left, his nurse was back to administer his Dactinomycin and Vincristine-2.
We do not have to go back for 3 weeks.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Chemo treatment #10 + Scans
Wow. I have sure fallen behind here. Isaac has been doing so awesomely well lately, that I have had minimal time to myself! I am not complaining one bit, though. It is so great to see him back to his normal little self.
Isaac completed Chemo treatment #10 on Wednesday, March 10th. Protocol was the same - A & V followed by 100ml of fluid over 1 hour.
I am SUPER HAPPY to report that as of this Wednesday, we are 9 weeks away from the END OF CHEMOTHERAPY! There are 9 weeks left, but he only has 3 more infusions. (Since they are spaced 2 weeks apart - I explained this in my last post).
Tomorrow we go in for blood counts (I'm sure they are great!) and then Wednesday he will receive A & V2.
He underwent his mid-treatment scans on Friday, March 26th. An abdominal ultrasound was completed as well as a chest xray to check for any metastasis. My little trooper screamed through both tests. I don't blame him. He has been poked and prodded more that most 100 year olds. I have not received the results of the tests as of yet. I am hoping no news, is good news.
Isaac completed Chemo treatment #10 on Wednesday, March 10th. Protocol was the same - A & V followed by 100ml of fluid over 1 hour.
I am SUPER HAPPY to report that as of this Wednesday, we are 9 weeks away from the END OF CHEMOTHERAPY! There are 9 weeks left, but he only has 3 more infusions. (Since they are spaced 2 weeks apart - I explained this in my last post).
Tomorrow we go in for blood counts (I'm sure they are great!) and then Wednesday he will receive A & V2.
He underwent his mid-treatment scans on Friday, March 26th. An abdominal ultrasound was completed as well as a chest xray to check for any metastasis. My little trooper screamed through both tests. I don't blame him. He has been poked and prodded more that most 100 year olds. I have not received the results of the tests as of yet. I am hoping no news, is good news.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Chemo treatment #8 & 9 down - 10 more to go
I am running a little behind with updates!
Isaac had his chemo infusion #8 on Wednesday, February 24th. It was actually the smoothest, quickest appointment to date!
Appointment was at 1:00 p.m. We were in and out of there in 1 hour.
Weight: 9.8 kg (up .1 kg from the week prior)
He did awesome from week #7 - week #8. He ate like a champ, and poo was normal. (Yeah, and yeah!)
He received Vincristine only.
LABS:
ANC: 1,710
WBC: 5.3
Hemoglobin: 10.6
Platelets: 417
Today was chemo infusion #9. I am happy to announce that we only have 10 more to go! (Actually less, but I will explain that in a bit)...
Daddy had the day off today, so he was able to go with us. I was glad, since this was his first time he had a chance to tag along and witness first-hand how the infusion process works, and I wanted him to have a chance to ask the Oncologist any questions that he had for himself.
Once again, our appointment was set for 1:00 p.m. We arrived pretty much AT 1:00 p.m. - we are never early for anything when Daddy is with us! He is rarely ever on time for anything, so I am actually surprised we weren't late. ; )
The nurse took him straight to the scale when we "checked-in". Weight: 9.8 - Same as last week. It's okay if he maintains his weight, just as long as we don't go down.
They set us up in our regular room. Room 17.
Vitals were taken, BP: 115/68
We waited about 45 minutes to 1 hour before his primary Oncologist, Dr. Esparza, came in. It was nice to actually see him, instead of the NP. Nothing really new to report, but I did let him know that his appetite has once again come to a halt, and the diarrhea has started again. He did mention that the diarrhea most likely is due to chemo (we knew this), and it is very rare. He said that is not tolerating the chemo well, and his little body is very sensitive. We will just have to bite the bullet and get through the last several weeks of chemo, then treat as necessary when the treatment is over. He said he will give him 2-weeks after chemo is completed for his bowels to return to normal. If they do not, then they will start some invasive testing. For the meantime, we need to rid his body of whatever cancer cells are left behind, so dealing with diarrhea is on the bottom of our list for now - just as long as he stays hydrated, obviously. But, oh my gosh! These poopies are outrageous! They explode up and out every single time, like a volcano. It's crazy. His tummy must hurt, because he screams every time. He still wakes up many times through the night, crying and kicking. I make him a bottle, but for the past few nights, he has been refusing it. He drank 4 oz before his nap this morning at 10:30 am and vomited it all up shortly after. Bath time happens a few times a day, needless to say!
Another thing I mentioned was Isaac's hair growth. His hair is growing SOO fast!! He said that most likely, the chemo is killing off some of his hair follicles and the other ones are growing out of control. He does have significant thinning on the sides of his head, but look at the comparisons...
The nurse came in directly after Dr. Esparza left and started his infusion.
Here is a video of the chemo infusion process.
Click here
Since we ended Cycle 3, his infusions will be on a different schedule from here on out.
Week 10: A & V
Weeks 11 and 12: No chemo
Week 13: A & V2 (V2 is a beefed up version of V, a stronger dose).
Weeks 14 and 15: No chemo
Week 16: A & V2
Weeks 17 and 18: No chemo
Week 19: A & V2
Weeks 20-22: No chemo, resting period. END OF CHEMO.
So, technically, he has 13 more weeks of Chemo (total 22 weeks), but only 4 more (but stronger) infusions. We will still have to go weekly, though, for lab draws.
LABS:
ANC: 1,150
WBC: 4.5
Hemoglobin: 11.2
Platelets: 463
His ANC levels have dropped significantly since last week. They went from 1,710 to 1,150. A "safe" ANC is 1,500 and above.
Isaac had his chemo infusion #8 on Wednesday, February 24th. It was actually the smoothest, quickest appointment to date!
Appointment was at 1:00 p.m. We were in and out of there in 1 hour.
Weight: 9.8 kg (up .1 kg from the week prior)
He did awesome from week #7 - week #8. He ate like a champ, and poo was normal. (Yeah, and yeah!)
He received Vincristine only.
LABS:
ANC: 1,710
WBC: 5.3
Hemoglobin: 10.6
Platelets: 417
Today was chemo infusion #9. I am happy to announce that we only have 10 more to go! (Actually less, but I will explain that in a bit)...
Daddy had the day off today, so he was able to go with us. I was glad, since this was his first time he had a chance to tag along and witness first-hand how the infusion process works, and I wanted him to have a chance to ask the Oncologist any questions that he had for himself.
Once again, our appointment was set for 1:00 p.m. We arrived pretty much AT 1:00 p.m. - we are never early for anything when Daddy is with us! He is rarely ever on time for anything, so I am actually surprised we weren't late. ; )
The nurse took him straight to the scale when we "checked-in". Weight: 9.8 - Same as last week. It's okay if he maintains his weight, just as long as we don't go down.
They set us up in our regular room. Room 17.
Vitals were taken, BP: 115/68
We waited about 45 minutes to 1 hour before his primary Oncologist, Dr. Esparza, came in. It was nice to actually see him, instead of the NP. Nothing really new to report, but I did let him know that his appetite has once again come to a halt, and the diarrhea has started again. He did mention that the diarrhea most likely is due to chemo (we knew this), and it is very rare. He said that is not tolerating the chemo well, and his little body is very sensitive. We will just have to bite the bullet and get through the last several weeks of chemo, then treat as necessary when the treatment is over. He said he will give him 2-weeks after chemo is completed for his bowels to return to normal. If they do not, then they will start some invasive testing. For the meantime, we need to rid his body of whatever cancer cells are left behind, so dealing with diarrhea is on the bottom of our list for now - just as long as he stays hydrated, obviously. But, oh my gosh! These poopies are outrageous! They explode up and out every single time, like a volcano. It's crazy. His tummy must hurt, because he screams every time. He still wakes up many times through the night, crying and kicking. I make him a bottle, but for the past few nights, he has been refusing it. He drank 4 oz before his nap this morning at 10:30 am and vomited it all up shortly after. Bath time happens a few times a day, needless to say!
Another thing I mentioned was Isaac's hair growth. His hair is growing SOO fast!! He said that most likely, the chemo is killing off some of his hair follicles and the other ones are growing out of control. He does have significant thinning on the sides of his head, but look at the comparisons...
6 weeks ago
Today! (Doesn't he look so grown-up?!)
Here is a video of the chemo infusion process.
Click here
Since we ended Cycle 3, his infusions will be on a different schedule from here on out.
Week 10: A & V
Weeks 11 and 12: No chemo
Week 13: A & V2 (V2 is a beefed up version of V, a stronger dose).
Weeks 14 and 15: No chemo
Week 16: A & V2
Weeks 17 and 18: No chemo
Week 19: A & V2
Weeks 20-22: No chemo, resting period. END OF CHEMO.
So, technically, he has 13 more weeks of Chemo (total 22 weeks), but only 4 more (but stronger) infusions. We will still have to go weekly, though, for lab draws.
LABS:
ANC: 1,150
WBC: 4.5
Hemoglobin: 11.2
Platelets: 463
His ANC levels have dropped significantly since last week. They went from 1,710 to 1,150. A "safe" ANC is 1,500 and above.
Friday, February 26, 2010
I still would have chosen you
I came across this poem, and thought it was just perfect..
If before you were born, I could have gone to Heaven and saw all the beautiful souls, I still would have chosen you.
If God had told me, "this soul will one day need extra care and needs", I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "that one day this soul may make my heart bleed", I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "this soul would make me question the depth of my faith", I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "this soul would make tears flow from my eyes that would overflow a river", I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "our time spent together here on earth could be short", I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "this soul may one day make me witness overbearing suffering", I still would have chosen you...
If He had told me, "all that you know to be normal would drastically change", I still would have chosen you...
Of course, even though I would have chosen you, I know it was God who chose me for you...
Author Unknown
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Chemo treatment #7 down-12 more to go!
Pretty uneventful appointment. We went in at 1:00 p.m.. ran down to the Pharmacy in the basement and dropped off his prescription for his Glutamine powder. Back up to the 2nd floor for Chemo.
Weight: 9.7 kg - down 1 lb 1 oz from last week. I am very, very surprised he lost so much weight. I really, really thought he would be up from last week since the diarrhea has come to a halt, and he has been eating more. So confusing, yet frustrating at the same time.
His nurse came in shortly after his vitals, with the Vincristine, Dactinomycin, Zofran and a 100 ml bag of fluids. Whenever you see that bag of fluids come in, you know your gonna be there for a while. She proceeded to access his port, and pushed through the Vincristine. Followed by the Zofran which was pushed through the IV for 10 minutes, then came the evil Dactinomycin, which was pushed through over 15 minutes. She came back in and started the IV bag of what I call "juice".
Mary, the NP, came in between all of this and we chatted for a bit. She said that his fluid intake is definitely not where he should be (he drinks no more than 20 oz a day). It would be fine, IF he was eating like a normal child, but, still, when you have one kidney working solo, you need to drink as much as possible - regardless. So.. we really need to work on pushing fluids on our little guy, which is a big problem since he hates any sort of 100% juice. He will drink a scant amount of Gatorade, and some water here and there.
I mentioned to her that we are getting little to zero sleep at night, and it doesn't help much when he kicks and kicks all night long. She pretty much flat out told me that she didn't know why he was doing this and to try and give him some Tylenol before bed. (Not in a mean way, she just didn't have an answer for me!) It could very well be that he is experiencing pain, but we don't know where. Well, I didn't feel particularly comfortable giving it to him last night since he was pumped full of so many drugs yesterday. How much can his little body tolerate, seriously. We will try tonight, and see how it goes. We are going to discuss our options next week, due to the weight loss and limited intake with food/liquids and also the night time pain issue.
Went back down to the basement to pick up the Glutamine (which his insurance did not cover, by the way. Had to pay cash, wonderful!) The appointment took nearly 3 hours from start to finish.
ANC: 2,110
WBC: 5.7
Hemoglobin: 10.3
Platelets: 573
Next appointment set for Wednesday, the 24th.
On a side note: He is cutting his first top front tooth, on top of all the other effects he is feeling from the chemo. My poor little guy is a miserable wreck!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sleep and Appetite
You lose some, but you gain some.
Sleep seems to be non-existent. We are both (Mommy & Isaac) running on fumes at this point. Exhausted! He wakes up it seems every hour, whining, tossing and turning. I just wish he could tell me what he is feeling so I could try and make it better.
Appetite has improved greatly within the past 3 days. He has eaten so much more than what he has been in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, I do not expect this to continue since he will be receiving both V & A this Wednesday, but I am happy he is stocking up on calories for now.
Poo has been great! No more than 1-2 a day. An awesome improvement!
Sleep seems to be non-existent. We are both (Mommy & Isaac) running on fumes at this point. Exhausted! He wakes up it seems every hour, whining, tossing and turning. I just wish he could tell me what he is feeling so I could try and make it better.
Appetite has improved greatly within the past 3 days. He has eaten so much more than what he has been in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, I do not expect this to continue since he will be receiving both V & A this Wednesday, but I am happy he is stocking up on calories for now.
Poo has been great! No more than 1-2 a day. An awesome improvement!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Chemo treatment #6 down - 13 more to go
Our appointment was at 1:30 p.m., and we were up and out of the house by 12:30 p.m. Arrived in OPI, and the nurse went ahead and took his weight before sending us into the room. (Good idea!) Weight: 10.1 kg - He was 10.3 kg when we left the hospital on Friday.
Get into the room, and she takes his bp: 106/76 - awesome!
A different NP, whom I have never met before comes in. Sorry to be so blunt, but she was not the brightest light on the block. She made me really nervous, as it seemed like she did not know what she was doing. She comes in with a mask, and asks why we are wearing them... I mean... there is a sign outside the door and it's everywhere in his chart! She does not even gown up, and she is talking to me with the mask hanging halfway off her face. Umm... okay!! She then just continues to ask some goofball questions.
Anyhow, she leaves eventually, and his nurse comes in with her box of tricks.
She draws labs, and proceeds to infuse his Vincristine. I mentioned to the NP that Isaac has been extremely queasy, so she orders a IV push of Zofran. The nurse did not have the Zofran ready or anything to tape down his port site, so I had to sit there with him - in all needle glory - with him thrashing and screaming for 15 minutes while she "ran" to get something to tape it down. Holy hell. It's not easy trying to hold a 9-month-old on your lap and keep his hands from grabbing at his line.. oh.. and the syringe of Saline hanging from it. He was MAD. All the while, another lady comes in and offers us to participate in another clinical trial, so while she is explaining what and why's, her words are going in one ear and out the other while I hold down my screaming Mimi. I think she took the hint, and told me she would leave the paperwork for me to take home and read myself.
On the downside, his ANC levels have fallen to 2,000. On January 26th, they were at 4,600. Anything under 1,500 will put his chemotherapy at a temporary halt. He goes back in for blood counts on Tuesday, to determine if he will receive chemo on Wednesday (A & V).
Get into the room, and she takes his bp: 106/76 - awesome!
A different NP, whom I have never met before comes in. Sorry to be so blunt, but she was not the brightest light on the block. She made me really nervous, as it seemed like she did not know what she was doing. She comes in with a mask, and asks why we are wearing them... I mean... there is a sign outside the door and it's everywhere in his chart! She does not even gown up, and she is talking to me with the mask hanging halfway off her face. Umm... okay!! She then just continues to ask some goofball questions.
Anyhow, she leaves eventually, and his nurse comes in with her box of tricks.
She draws labs, and proceeds to infuse his Vincristine. I mentioned to the NP that Isaac has been extremely queasy, so she orders a IV push of Zofran. The nurse did not have the Zofran ready or anything to tape down his port site, so I had to sit there with him - in all needle glory - with him thrashing and screaming for 15 minutes while she "ran" to get something to tape it down. Holy hell. It's not easy trying to hold a 9-month-old on your lap and keep his hands from grabbing at his line.. oh.. and the syringe of Saline hanging from it. He was MAD. All the while, another lady comes in and offers us to participate in another clinical trial, so while she is explaining what and why's, her words are going in one ear and out the other while I hold down my screaming Mimi. I think she took the hint, and told me she would leave the paperwork for me to take home and read myself.
On the downside, his ANC levels have fallen to 2,000. On January 26th, they were at 4,600. Anything under 1,500 will put his chemotherapy at a temporary halt. He goes back in for blood counts on Tuesday, to determine if he will receive chemo on Wednesday (A & V).
Monday, February 8, 2010
Hospital stay - quick recap
Isaac was hospitalized from Friday, January 29th to Friday, February 5th.
We went in for his regular chemo appointment on that Wednesday, January 27th. He was still having diarrhea, so he received 100 ml's of fluid before his therapy was administered. I had taken stool samples into Quest the week before, and they ended up coming back all negative.
Fast forward a few days to Friday. His diarrhea had significantly increased from 3-4 times a day to 6-7 times. He just didn't look right. He was very lethargic, whiny, and did not want to be put down. He also had a white cast to his face - very pale, and his eyes had purple circles under them. I decided to make a call into the Oncology unit, and they advised me to bring him in right away. This was around 11:00 a.m., and we got there a little before 1:00 p.m.
I had applied EMLA to his port site before we left, because I knew that he would be accessed. They weighed him, and he was down nearly 1.5 pounds from that Wednesday. He lost 1 1/2 pounds in less than 2 days.
They accessed his port and drew labs. They also immediately hooked him up to some IV fluids. We were not in the OPI unit long, before the Oncologist (Dr. Shen) came in and let me know that they were in the process of having him admitted.
Around 5:00 p.m., we were eventually moved up to the 3rd floor, Oncology, room 331.
On that same night, he ended up stepping on his IV line standing in his crib and yanked it right out of his chest. His nurse was running down the hallway gathering all the necessary equipment to re-access. They have to re-access quickly since the blood in the catheter clots within minutes. Since the line was not hep-locked prior to removal, it may develop a blockage. He then had to have his very first (and praying the last) access to his port with NO EMLA. No EMLA = pain. His nurse came in with the charge nurse, so I opted to step this one out and left the room. I knew I would have probably lost it. Of course, I could hear his screams from the hallway, and it didn't make it that much easier. His IV was a little boggy and would occlude, so she had to flush it 3 times before the fluid would flow freely after re-access.
During his stay, they ended up checking his stool for various different tests, including the same ones done the week before, and also for parasites. Everything came back good!
It all came down to the Oncology doctor and the GI specialist agreeing on what the right course of care would be. The Oncologist wanted Isaac to be scoped and have a section of his colon biopsied, but the GI specialist did not feel it was 100% necessary.
They ultimately decided (for now) that the chemotherapy is the culprit of the diarrhea. They administered a dose of Imodium and it seemed to do the trick (again... for now).
Can we get off the rollercoaster, now?
We went in for his regular chemo appointment on that Wednesday, January 27th. He was still having diarrhea, so he received 100 ml's of fluid before his therapy was administered. I had taken stool samples into Quest the week before, and they ended up coming back all negative.
Fast forward a few days to Friday. His diarrhea had significantly increased from 3-4 times a day to 6-7 times. He just didn't look right. He was very lethargic, whiny, and did not want to be put down. He also had a white cast to his face - very pale, and his eyes had purple circles under them. I decided to make a call into the Oncology unit, and they advised me to bring him in right away. This was around 11:00 a.m., and we got there a little before 1:00 p.m.
I had applied EMLA to his port site before we left, because I knew that he would be accessed. They weighed him, and he was down nearly 1.5 pounds from that Wednesday. He lost 1 1/2 pounds in less than 2 days.
They accessed his port and drew labs. They also immediately hooked him up to some IV fluids. We were not in the OPI unit long, before the Oncologist (Dr. Shen) came in and let me know that they were in the process of having him admitted.
Around 5:00 p.m., we were eventually moved up to the 3rd floor, Oncology, room 331.
On that same night, he ended up stepping on his IV line standing in his crib and yanked it right out of his chest. His nurse was running down the hallway gathering all the necessary equipment to re-access. They have to re-access quickly since the blood in the catheter clots within minutes. Since the line was not hep-locked prior to removal, it may develop a blockage. He then had to have his very first (and praying the last) access to his port with NO EMLA. No EMLA = pain. His nurse came in with the charge nurse, so I opted to step this one out and left the room. I knew I would have probably lost it. Of course, I could hear his screams from the hallway, and it didn't make it that much easier. His IV was a little boggy and would occlude, so she had to flush it 3 times before the fluid would flow freely after re-access.
During his stay, they ended up checking his stool for various different tests, including the same ones done the week before, and also for parasites. Everything came back good!
It all came down to the Oncology doctor and the GI specialist agreeing on what the right course of care would be. The Oncologist wanted Isaac to be scoped and have a section of his colon biopsied, but the GI specialist did not feel it was 100% necessary.
They ultimately decided (for now) that the chemotherapy is the culprit of the diarrhea. They administered a dose of Imodium and it seemed to do the trick (again... for now).
Can we get off the rollercoaster, now?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Chemo treatment #5 down - 14 more to go / Update
Going on day 6 since he was admitted in the Oncology unit. It is so hard to spend day-in and day-out in that tiny, itty bitty room. I hate the fact that he is cooped up 24/7. You see other cancer children able to walk the halls, taking rides in the wagon, and playing in the playroom. But, we can't do none of that since he is in isolation. He is either in my arms or in his crib, so it is very difficult to get through each day. On my way back to the hospital yesterday, I stopped off at Toysrus and picked him up a ABC playmat, and a bunch of new toys. (Toys get old quick when you are playing with the same ones ALL day!) He absolutely loved being back on the floor able to move about. He does try to sneak off the mat every once and a while, but he is held back by his IV line (and Mommy!).
He had an x ray of his belly on Monday evening (at 10:30 p.m. nevertheless!) and it came back clear! No obstruction. Grandma said that during the whole procedure, Isaac was saying, "ut oh!" He was great, and did not cry.
He had his 5th chemotherapy treatment today. Vincristine only.
Doctor's are still baffled about the cause of the diarrhea and are really leaning toward it being chemotherapy related, but are not really sure how to go about treating it. They have tested his poopies 3 times, and everything keeps coming back negative.
His appetite is still horrible, but we are working on it. We are hoping to be home, soon.
Oh! I bought Isaac his first bottle of bubbles. Do you think he liked them? : )
He had an x ray of his belly on Monday evening (at 10:30 p.m. nevertheless!) and it came back clear! No obstruction. Grandma said that during the whole procedure, Isaac was saying, "ut oh!" He was great, and did not cry.
He had his 5th chemotherapy treatment today. Vincristine only.
Doctor's are still baffled about the cause of the diarrhea and are really leaning toward it being chemotherapy related, but are not really sure how to go about treating it. They have tested his poopies 3 times, and everything keeps coming back negative.
His appetite is still horrible, but we are working on it. We are hoping to be home, soon.
Oh! I bought Isaac his first bottle of bubbles. Do you think he liked them? : )
Monday, February 1, 2010
Update, Monday, 2/1
Isaac is still in the hospital - going on day 4.Thankfully, his Grandma (my Mom) was granted permission to come and stay with him for the night, so I could come home and shower. (And eat. And sleep.) They do not allow any other visitors besides for parents/guardians due to the h1n1 outbreak - totally understandable. Daddy is in New Hampshire on business for 4 weeks, and cannot be here to help.
It has been a rough 3 days. He has been hooked up and is being pumped full of fluids 24/7. Yesterday, he had 8 diarrhea explosions. I mean e-x-p-l-o-s-i-o-n-s. He saturated his crib from end to end twice and needed brand new bedding.
His appetite is nil, and when he does eat a little something, it comes right out within 10 minutes. He is on a gastro diet. He turns away to any sort of food they offer, but he is drinking formula. No as much as he should be, but anything is something at this point.
The GI doctor came in today, and basically said that the diarrhea may be caused by a few possibilities. 1.) A small part of his bowel may have become twisted during surgery to remove his kidney and tumor 2.) Colitis or something to that manner 3.) 100% chemotherapy-related.
He is ordering an xray for tomorrow to rule out a blockage. If there is no blockage, then they will possibly take a biopsy of his colon to rule out no. 2 above. If that is okay, then most likely it is no. 3, and they will then give him medication to hopefully put an end to the diarrhea. They do not prescribe anything for the diarrhea without ruling out other possibilities first.
This is all in a nutshell. I am writing this on VERY little sleep and may sound jumbled. The nurses come in all hours of the night, and wake him up every 2 hours to take vitals. It is the most frustrating thing ever to JUST get him back to sleep, and finally get a chance to lay down, and they are back! That. Quick. They woke him last night, just to change a small pee diaper. I mean, c'mon now! Just because they are used to being awake at night, does not mean WE are!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Hello, from Oncology
Isaac was admitted into CHOC on Friday. His little body is not tolerating the Chemotherapy, and has lost a considerable amount of weight. I will update when I can (little - no internet).
Thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated during this rough time.
Thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated during this rough time.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Chemo treatment #4 down - 15 more to go & Kidney U/S
Two words. Long. Day.
Isaac had two appointments today. Ultrasound at 9:30 a.m., and chemo at 11:30 a.m.
I dropped of Sheldon at school at 7:30 a.m. (Izabella was sick, so she stayed at home with Nannie and her Auntie Lissa), then myself and Isaac hopped on the 91 freeway.
We had to be in the Radiology unit - second floor - by 9:00 a.m. to check in. I got up to the receptionist, and she proceeds to ask me if I went down to the first floor to register first. Umm, no. No one told me that I had to go down there and register. I kindly explained that 1.) I would rather not take my immunosuppressed child up and down, here and there to each floor, when all you can hear in the waiting room is coughing and sniffing, and 2.) we are in insolation. She agreed, and called up someone from registration to come to us. Thank you! She sat us at a nice little desk - away from all the sickies. Registration man comes, we are registered. They ever so kindly put us in front of all other waiting patients and we are called in shortly after.
My little man was GREAT during the whole procedure. She got an awesome scan of his kidney.
We finished up pretty quick and we were out of there by 9:40 a.m., with nearly 2 hours to burn. Yeah. 2 hours. We picked up some brekkie/lunch, and drove across the street to the OPI clinic, where we sat in the car and waited. And waited. Isaac thought it was the funniest thing to grab my straw and yank it out while flinging lemonade all over the car in the process. You didn't notice how much he flung everywhere because it was dark in the parking structure, but when we left and got out into daylight - oh my gosh - there is stickiness everywhere.. even on the dashboard and windshield! Have no fear, we will have Daddy clean it.
By 11:15 a.m., I was done being in that car as much as Isaac was...
so we went in the clinic a tad early. We get our "Hi, Isaac!" but this time, the nurse says, "meet you in room (closet) 17. Do you know the code?" Me - "no". "Oh! It's 1-2-3-4-5". Wow, we qualified to find out our closet secret code! Yippie skippie!
Vitals:
Blood pressure - 101/59 (yeah!)
Weight - 10.21 kg (up from last week!)
Nurse Sabrina is back around 12:00 p.m. and sets up a 15-minute 4 mg Zofran drip.
Mary, the NP, comes in at 12:45 p.m. and chats with us for a bit. The scoop on the poop. The poop was negative for all 3 cultures. Most likely the diarrhea is chemotherapy-induced.
She asks about his stools, and I let her know that they are still pretty watery. She puts in an order for him to receive 100 ml's of fluid before his chemo transfusion. This fluid was pushed through over a 1 hr time frame. Fun times. Isaac screamed. The. Whole. Time. He was so tired by this point. Tired of being in the closet, tired of being held, tired because he was so off his routine and was waaaaay late for his nap. Keep in mind, we left the house at 7:20 a.m., and we arrive in the OPI at 11:15 a.m., and our appointment was at 11:30 a.m., and Mary did not come in until after 12:40 p.m.
Fluids are finally pushed through, and nurse S is back with chemo V & A. When she removes the line in his port, she notices there is a little discharge, a.k.a. puss on the outer edge of the access point. Greeeeeeeaat. She advises us to keep a very close watch on him AND his port, watching for any signs of infection and for a fever.
In the end, we are out of there at 2:30 p.m. and do not arrive back home until after 3:30 p.m.
You wanna hear some good news? His ultrasound report came back STAT and his remaining right kidney is functioning PERFECTLY!!
Isaac had two appointments today. Ultrasound at 9:30 a.m., and chemo at 11:30 a.m.
I dropped of Sheldon at school at 7:30 a.m. (Izabella was sick, so she stayed at home with Nannie and her Auntie Lissa), then myself and Isaac hopped on the 91 freeway.
We had to be in the Radiology unit - second floor - by 9:00 a.m. to check in. I got up to the receptionist, and she proceeds to ask me if I went down to the first floor to register first. Umm, no. No one told me that I had to go down there and register. I kindly explained that 1.) I would rather not take my immunosuppressed child up and down, here and there to each floor, when all you can hear in the waiting room is coughing and sniffing, and 2.) we are in insolation. She agreed, and called up someone from registration to come to us. Thank you! She sat us at a nice little desk - away from all the sickies. Registration man comes, we are registered. They ever so kindly put us in front of all other waiting patients and we are called in shortly after.
My little man was GREAT during the whole procedure. She got an awesome scan of his kidney.
We finished up pretty quick and we were out of there by 9:40 a.m., with nearly 2 hours to burn. Yeah. 2 hours. We picked up some brekkie/lunch, and drove across the street to the OPI clinic, where we sat in the car and waited. And waited. Isaac thought it was the funniest thing to grab my straw and yank it out while flinging lemonade all over the car in the process. You didn't notice how much he flung everywhere because it was dark in the parking structure, but when we left and got out into daylight - oh my gosh - there is stickiness everywhere.. even on the dashboard and windshield! Have no fear, we will have Daddy clean it.
By 11:15 a.m., I was done being in that car as much as Isaac was...
so we went in the clinic a tad early. We get our "Hi, Isaac!" but this time, the nurse says, "meet you in room (closet) 17. Do you know the code?" Me - "no". "Oh! It's 1-2-3-4-5". Wow, we qualified to find out our closet secret code! Yippie skippie!
Vitals:
Blood pressure - 101/59 (yeah!)
Weight - 10.21 kg (up from last week!)
Nurse Sabrina is back around 12:00 p.m. and sets up a 15-minute 4 mg Zofran drip.
Mary, the NP, comes in at 12:45 p.m. and chats with us for a bit. The scoop on the poop. The poop was negative for all 3 cultures. Most likely the diarrhea is chemotherapy-induced.
Chemotherapy tends to kill fast-growing cells. The cells in your hair, the cells in your bone marrow that make your blood, and the cells that line your intestines are among the most rapidly growing cells in your body. Therefore the typical side effects of chemotherapy include hair loss, decreased blood counts and damage to your intestinal lining. If your chemotherapy causes sufficient damage to the lining of your intestine, diarrhea may result.
She asks about his stools, and I let her know that they are still pretty watery. She puts in an order for him to receive 100 ml's of fluid before his chemo transfusion. This fluid was pushed through over a 1 hr time frame. Fun times. Isaac screamed. The. Whole. Time. He was so tired by this point. Tired of being in the closet, tired of being held, tired because he was so off his routine and was waaaaay late for his nap. Keep in mind, we left the house at 7:20 a.m., and we arrive in the OPI at 11:15 a.m., and our appointment was at 11:30 a.m., and Mary did not come in until after 12:40 p.m.
Fluids are finally pushed through, and nurse S is back with chemo V & A. When she removes the line in his port, she notices there is a little discharge, a.k.a. puss on the outer edge of the access point. Greeeeeeeaat. She advises us to keep a very close watch on him AND his port, watching for any signs of infection and for a fever.
In the end, we are out of there at 2:30 p.m. and do not arrive back home until after 3:30 p.m.
You wanna hear some good news? His ultrasound report came back STAT and his remaining right kidney is functioning PERFECTLY!!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Green light = GO
We were scheduled to arrive in the Oncology clinic this morning at 8:30 a.m., so they could draw routine labs since it is the dreaded 3rd week. Third week = both V & A treatments. When he receives V only, they draw his blood same day (Wednesday), directly before they push through chemo medicine. But, when he has to receive V AND A, they have to make sure his blood counts are okay ahead of time since the A wears down his blood cells like nobody's business.
We arrive and sit in our nice little isolation waiting room. Holy moly was it HOT in there. They had that heater blasting! Little Einsteins comes on, and gathers Isaac's attention for the few minutes that I was checking him in and signing the necessary paperwork. The nurse comes to the window shortly after and lets us know she will be right with us. Okay! Funny, because Isaac never even looks at the television at home.
Less than 10 minutes later, she comes to us with her little tray of goodies. She accesses his port, with ease, no flinching. Draws blood, and gives me the option of leaving his line accessed. I had to think about it for a few, then decided to just leave it for tomorrow's chemo. Isaac gets a little anxious during port access, so I thought I would save him a little nervousness for 1 day. That way, all she has to do is reach under his shirt and grab the 6 inch IV cord, rather than having to tear off the Tagaderm-film, wipe off the EMLA, douse him with alcohol and POKE. By step 3 (alcohol) he is already starting to become Mr. Squirmy Wormie, so by the time she actually pushes through the chemo, he is full on kicking n' twisting like an alligator.
Came home, and watched him like a hawk so he would not discover his new appendage. He did great! I was worried that we would get it caught on something, but we made it through the day.
Blood counts came back great! We are a go for tomorrow.
ANC: 4,600
WBC: 8.1
Hemoglobin: 10.5
Platelets: 547
We arrive and sit in our nice little isolation waiting room. Holy moly was it HOT in there. They had that heater blasting! Little Einsteins comes on, and gathers Isaac's attention for the few minutes that I was checking him in and signing the necessary paperwork. The nurse comes to the window shortly after and lets us know she will be right with us. Okay! Funny, because Isaac never even looks at the television at home.
Less than 10 minutes later, she comes to us with her little tray of goodies. She accesses his port, with ease, no flinching. Draws blood, and gives me the option of leaving his line accessed. I had to think about it for a few, then decided to just leave it for tomorrow's chemo. Isaac gets a little anxious during port access, so I thought I would save him a little nervousness for 1 day. That way, all she has to do is reach under his shirt and grab the 6 inch IV cord, rather than having to tear off the Tagaderm-film, wipe off the EMLA, douse him with alcohol and POKE. By step 3 (alcohol) he is already starting to become Mr. Squirmy Wormie, so by the time she actually pushes through the chemo, he is full on kicking n' twisting like an alligator.
Came home, and watched him like a hawk so he would not discover his new appendage. He did great! I was worried that we would get it caught on something, but we made it through the day.
Blood counts came back great! We are a go for tomorrow.
ANC: 4,600
WBC: 8.1
Hemoglobin: 10.5
Platelets: 547
Sunday, January 24, 2010
3rd & 4th day - post chemo
Currently, Isaac's chemotherapy falls on Wednesday of each week. He seems to tolerate it well considering, until the weekend following. Saturday, he starts feeling the effects, but by Sunday, it's all down hill. Saturday, he was a little bit cranky. He ate a teeny bit of random food that we offer, but no meals. Sunday the 24th, was the worst I have ever seen him. He was super clingy, and was very whiny. He was NOT feeling well at all. His color was diminishing - he looked very pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes.
Earlier that a.m., he had the worst diarrhea blowout. It literally climbed to the back of his neck. Let me remind you, he has had diarrhea for 2 + weeks! (We took in stool samples, but we are still awaiting the final culture results...) I called the on-call Oncologist, but she didn't really help much, and just advised me to watch him closely.
He is doing considerably better today. He ate a little bit of chicken soup, and some yogurt. He played a bit today, as well.
Tomorrow a.m. we go in for labs. Wednesday we have two appointments. First for his kidney ultrasound due to the high blood pressure, and then he has chemo (given his counts are okay).
He is sleeping soundly... but not for long. He tosses and turns ALL night long.
Earlier that a.m., he had the worst diarrhea blowout. It literally climbed to the back of his neck. Let me remind you, he has had diarrhea for 2 + weeks! (We took in stool samples, but we are still awaiting the final culture results...) I called the on-call Oncologist, but she didn't really help much, and just advised me to watch him closely.
He is doing considerably better today. He ate a little bit of chicken soup, and some yogurt. He played a bit today, as well.
Tomorrow a.m. we go in for labs. Wednesday we have two appointments. First for his kidney ultrasound due to the high blood pressure, and then he has chemo (given his counts are okay).
He is sleeping soundly... but not for long. He tosses and turns ALL night long.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
I'm standing!
They mentioned to us at our Oncology meeting that Isaac may become developmentally delayed due to the Chemo and it's nasty side effects...
Well, not our boy! Check out his new trick...
Well, not our boy! Check out his new trick...
"Hey Ma! I'm standing!"
THE poop scoop
(Literally!) I had to scoop Isaac's poop from his diaper earlier this a.m.
I ran it down to the lab pronto, only to be told that we need more POOP! The nurse at CHOC only gave me 1 cup for the 3 tests, but we needed more. The lab lady gave me one more cup for frozen poo, and 1 tubular vial filled with red liquid.
So. We wait. C'mon poo! (Never thought I would be looking forward to poop, especially since I have to dig through it.)... OOOOOOHHH! I just realized she did not give me any additional scoopers! Guess I have to get crafty.
I ran it down to the lab pronto, only to be told that we need more POOP! The nurse at CHOC only gave me 1 cup for the 3 tests, but we needed more. The lab lady gave me one more cup for frozen poo, and 1 tubular vial filled with red liquid.
So. We wait. C'mon poo! (Never thought I would be looking forward to poop, especially since I have to dig through it.)... OOOOOOHHH! I just realized she did not give me any additional scoopers! Guess I have to get crafty.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Chemo treatment #3 down - 16 more to go
Another 4:00 p.m. appointment. EMLA was applied at 2:35 p.m., and myself and Mr. Man were on the rainy road by 2:50 p.m.
We arrived at CHOC at 3:40 p.m. (Thank you crazy, rainy freeway! So much for my idea of leaving later...) Isaac cried once the car turned off, and I smelled an all too familiar smell - poop. I grabbed him from the back and layed him down on the passenger seat to change him. Not an easy task, let me tell you. (Don't tell Daddy that we got poopies on the leather, please). We finished up, and got out of the car. Threw away the diaper (a mistake.. will explain later..) and went inside the OPI (Outpatient Infusion) clinic, 2nd floor. There is usually a lady sitting right in front of the hallway, behind a table that has masks, hand sanitizer, and other goodies - but she wasn't there. She doesn't allow anyone to pass without knowing the who, when, why and what - and cleaning your hands via sanitizer. (Maybe she didn't want to come out in the rain?)... So, I had to dig deep into Isaac's diaper bag and pull out a clean mask. Got the mask on the squirmy worm, and off down the hall we went.
Walked up to the desk. We don't even have to sign in. They say, "Hi, Isaac!" and wisk us away into the isolation "closet". We got a bigger, upgraded "closet" today, yeah!
Nurse takes vitals. His BP reading was 148/74. Great. She measured it again, and it was 116/66. Still a tad high for a 9-month-old.
She takes his height... by laying him on the half reclined chair, and marking from head to toe. 29 1/4 inches (+/-) Close enough! We then exit our "closet" and walk down to the scale. Surprisingly, masked Isaac does not scream on the way there. Weight: 9.6 kg. He is down a few ounces from last Wednesday. He whines a bit on the way back. (Darn mask!)
Wait for bit, then the nurse comes in and asks if the doctor has been in yet. "Nope!"
Wait a bit longer, and doctor comes in. This time we saw a lady, I am guessing a NP, by the name of Mary.
She asks if they have contacted me for the kidney ultrasound, and I reply, "No, they have not." Oops. Apparently, they were supposed to contact me last week to schedule an appointment. It is a STAT ultrasound, so she was a little irritated that I did not receive a call. She lets me know that I WILL be receiving a call today to schedule. She is concerned about his blood pressure, and I mention that I *think* he still may be having headaches because he is still holding his head, but now he has been banging it (his head) against random objects. She asks the nurse to come back in to check it - 88/60 - better!
To be 100 percent honest, I am freaked about this ultrasound. The last time he had a kidney ultrasound, I was told he had cancer. I am scared that the blood flow to his remaining kidney is not adequate, resulting in his high blood pressure. It is so hard to think positive, but I know I need to, for my sake, but mostly for Isaac. Isaac has also been having diarrhea. She asks when the last time he had a bowel movement. I told her a while ago, in the car. She asks for the diaper. Doh! "I threw it away!" I guess I should have kept it, but who'd have known. That thing was stinky and I wanted to get rid of it A.S.A.P. Carrying it around in his diaper bag was not on my mind at that point. So, they send me off with a cup to take a sample from home and deliver it to our local laboratory, STAT. One of the very common side effects of chemo is constipation. They even send you home with stool softeners. For some unknown reason, Isaac's stools are the total opposite. They are doing 3 tests: stool culture, stool cdiff, and stool rota virus.
She sends the nurse in to access his port and draw labs, but advises her to hold off on the Vincristine (V). She then leaves and says she will be back.
Nurse comes in with her box of tricks. (This is what chemo "looks" like. The syringe at the top with the white label, and the 'toxic' green label is Vincristine - The liquid is clear. The 2 white syringes are saline, and the yellow syringe is Heparin).
By this point, it has been a little over 2 hours since we applied EMLA. The cream was seeping through the top of the Tegaderm-Film that we place over it, and was nearly 100% absorbed. I was starting to get a little worried. I have a huge fear of Isaac feeling the needle that enters his chest. I mentioned this to her, and she assured me that it lasts a good 4 hours after applied. Ok. She accesses his port, and thankfully, not a flinch. She draws blood for his routine labwork, places a nice little comfy film over his port (needle, and line hanging freely) and leaves. We wait for a good 25 minutes, and finally Mary peeks back in to let me know that we definitely need to get the ultrasound done, and check his poopies - but we are good to go.
Nurse is back, and finishes what she started and pumps him full of V. He actually did very well this time, with minimal squirming! Removes the line, and places a Spiderman bandaid over his port.
Next appointment is on Tuesday to draw labs. If his counts come back too low, then they will call me and let me know it's a "no-go". Otherwise, we will be back in the OPI on Wednesday for V AND the dreaded A.
We arrived at CHOC at 3:40 p.m. (Thank you crazy, rainy freeway! So much for my idea of leaving later...) Isaac cried once the car turned off, and I smelled an all too familiar smell - poop. I grabbed him from the back and layed him down on the passenger seat to change him. Not an easy task, let me tell you. (Don't tell Daddy that we got poopies on the leather, please). We finished up, and got out of the car. Threw away the diaper (a mistake.. will explain later..) and went inside the OPI (Outpatient Infusion) clinic, 2nd floor. There is usually a lady sitting right in front of the hallway, behind a table that has masks, hand sanitizer, and other goodies - but she wasn't there. She doesn't allow anyone to pass without knowing the who, when, why and what - and cleaning your hands via sanitizer. (Maybe she didn't want to come out in the rain?)... So, I had to dig deep into Isaac's diaper bag and pull out a clean mask. Got the mask on the squirmy worm, and off down the hall we went.
Walked up to the desk. We don't even have to sign in. They say, "Hi, Isaac!" and wisk us away into the isolation "closet". We got a bigger, upgraded "closet" today, yeah!
Nurse takes vitals. His BP reading was 148/74. Great. She measured it again, and it was 116/66. Still a tad high for a 9-month-old.
She takes his height... by laying him on the half reclined chair, and marking from head to toe. 29 1/4 inches (+/-) Close enough! We then exit our "closet" and walk down to the scale. Surprisingly, masked Isaac does not scream on the way there. Weight: 9.6 kg. He is down a few ounces from last Wednesday. He whines a bit on the way back. (Darn mask!)
Wait for bit, then the nurse comes in and asks if the doctor has been in yet. "Nope!"
Wait a bit longer, and doctor comes in. This time we saw a lady, I am guessing a NP, by the name of Mary.
She asks if they have contacted me for the kidney ultrasound, and I reply, "No, they have not." Oops. Apparently, they were supposed to contact me last week to schedule an appointment. It is a STAT ultrasound, so she was a little irritated that I did not receive a call. She lets me know that I WILL be receiving a call today to schedule. She is concerned about his blood pressure, and I mention that I *think* he still may be having headaches because he is still holding his head, but now he has been banging it (his head) against random objects. She asks the nurse to come back in to check it - 88/60 - better!
To be 100 percent honest, I am freaked about this ultrasound. The last time he had a kidney ultrasound, I was told he had cancer. I am scared that the blood flow to his remaining kidney is not adequate, resulting in his high blood pressure. It is so hard to think positive, but I know I need to, for my sake, but mostly for Isaac. Isaac has also been having diarrhea. She asks when the last time he had a bowel movement. I told her a while ago, in the car. She asks for the diaper. Doh! "I threw it away!" I guess I should have kept it, but who'd have known. That thing was stinky and I wanted to get rid of it A.S.A.P. Carrying it around in his diaper bag was not on my mind at that point. So, they send me off with a cup to take a sample from home and deliver it to our local laboratory, STAT. One of the very common side effects of chemo is constipation. They even send you home with stool softeners. For some unknown reason, Isaac's stools are the total opposite. They are doing 3 tests: stool culture, stool cdiff, and stool rota virus.
She sends the nurse in to access his port and draw labs, but advises her to hold off on the Vincristine (V). She then leaves and says she will be back.
Nurse comes in with her box of tricks. (This is what chemo "looks" like. The syringe at the top with the white label, and the 'toxic' green label is Vincristine - The liquid is clear. The 2 white syringes are saline, and the yellow syringe is Heparin).
By this point, it has been a little over 2 hours since we applied EMLA. The cream was seeping through the top of the Tegaderm-Film that we place over it, and was nearly 100% absorbed. I was starting to get a little worried. I have a huge fear of Isaac feeling the needle that enters his chest. I mentioned this to her, and she assured me that it lasts a good 4 hours after applied. Ok. She accesses his port, and thankfully, not a flinch. She draws blood for his routine labwork, places a nice little comfy film over his port (needle, and line hanging freely) and leaves. We wait for a good 25 minutes, and finally Mary peeks back in to let me know that we definitely need to get the ultrasound done, and check his poopies - but we are good to go.
Nurse is back, and finishes what she started and pumps him full of V. He actually did very well this time, with minimal squirming! Removes the line, and places a Spiderman bandaid over his port.
Next appointment is on Tuesday to draw labs. If his counts come back too low, then they will call me and let me know it's a "no-go". Otherwise, we will be back in the OPI on Wednesday for V AND the dreaded A.
Monday, January 18, 2010
If you find his appetite, please let us know!
Poor little dude is NOT interested in FOOD. He looks at it with such disgust! There are very few things that he will even allow near his mouth, which include, and ARE limited to the following: flour tortillas, yogurt, cheese, pinto beans, and mashed up bananas. Really, it is a hit and a miss.
He does not like any sort of 100% juice, but will drink an occasional bottle of Gatorade and definitely will chug down his formula. (Thankfully!) He is still at his current weight of 21-pounds, so I guess we are not doing too bad.
To date, he has vomited 4 times, and each of those times was while or after he finished a meal/bottle.
I read, and I truly believe that cancer children should not be limited to what they eat. If they want a banana split for brekkie - hey, go for it. Calories first, nutrition second. The after effects, and bad forming habits can be fixed later! I am willing to feed him candy and cake if it will make him happy - to an extent, that is. : )
He does not like any sort of 100% juice, but will drink an occasional bottle of Gatorade and definitely will chug down his formula. (Thankfully!) He is still at his current weight of 21-pounds, so I guess we are not doing too bad.
To date, he has vomited 4 times, and each of those times was while or after he finished a meal/bottle.
I read, and I truly believe that cancer children should not be limited to what they eat. If they want a banana split for brekkie - hey, go for it. Calories first, nutrition second. The after effects, and bad forming habits can be fixed later! I am willing to feed him candy and cake if it will make him happy - to an extent, that is. : )
THE Chemo Cocktail
For a better understanding of all this madness...
Isaac will be receiving chemo for a total of 22 weeks (7 cycles - 3 weeks per cycle - day 1 being surgery day), with the last 3 weeks being drug free and considered a "recovery period". Before cycle 5/week 13, Isaac will be scheduled for a routine CT scan to be sure we are in the clear and there is NED. (No evidence of disease).
He will be on a combination of two chemotherapy drugs:
Vincristine and Dactinomycin (Actinomycin-D)
Vincristine = V
Dactinomycin = A
Every week, Isaac will receive V.
Every 3rd week, Isaac will receive both V & A.
Our current Chemo day is Wednesday's. This day may change somewhere down the road, since his blood counts are determined on whether he will receive chemo that week or not. If his counts are too low, they will postpone a few days to a week to allow his counts to replenish.
After treatment, Isaac will receive long-term follow up care, which includes CT scans every 3 months for the first 2 years, then every 6 months for the following 2 years, then every year thereafter. He will also require additional testing, such as abdominal ultrasounds, xrays, blood tests, urine tests, etc.
Isaac will be receiving chemo for a total of 22 weeks (7 cycles - 3 weeks per cycle - day 1 being surgery day), with the last 3 weeks being drug free and considered a "recovery period". Before cycle 5/week 13, Isaac will be scheduled for a routine CT scan to be sure we are in the clear and there is NED. (No evidence of disease).
He will be on a combination of two chemotherapy drugs:
Vincristine and Dactinomycin (Actinomycin-D)
Vincristine = V
Dactinomycin = A
Every week, Isaac will receive V.
Every 3rd week, Isaac will receive both V & A.
Our current Chemo day is Wednesday's. This day may change somewhere down the road, since his blood counts are determined on whether he will receive chemo that week or not. If his counts are too low, they will postpone a few days to a week to allow his counts to replenish.
After treatment, Isaac will receive long-term follow up care, which includes CT scans every 3 months for the first 2 years, then every 6 months for the following 2 years, then every year thereafter. He will also require additional testing, such as abdominal ultrasounds, xrays, blood tests, urine tests, etc.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Chemo treatment #2 down - 17 more to go
Today's appointment was at 4:00 p.m. It is very difficult to schedule accordingly, given the fact that the other kiddos school schedules are hectic. Izabella and Sheldon go in from 7:45 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. on Wednesday's and Alexis goes from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. So, I have a tiny window in the morning, but given that CHOC is 30 miles away, and the earliest appointment is at 10:30 a.m. it is impossible to get there and back in time to drop off Lexie / pick up the other 2. I removed Alexis from Pre-K early, and dropped them off with Auntie. I apply EMLA, and Mommy and Isaac jump on the freeway at 2:50 p.m.
We arrive at Children's at 3:30 p.m. with some time to spare, so I just sat in the car and let Isaac sleep a bit. Didn't I get there 30 minutes early last week, too? Hmm.. maybe I should leave later! ; )
I took Isaac in his old infant carseat, and covered the top with a blanket... hoping this would be easier than trying to keep a mask on him while walking to the OPI center. Yeah, sure. He screamed. He did not like being under that blanket, and most likely did not want to be in that seat equally as much. So much for my plan!
We check in, and they take us back to our room. The treatment rooms are code locked, so it feels like you are sitting in a huge closet with a chair and a flat-screen T.V. They have to enter their "5-digit" code to enter the room. The nurse takes his BP. 148/62. Great. Just great. Lately, Isaac has been holding the back of his head whining. It is very possible that his BP has been high and it is causing him to have frequent headaches. Weight check is next. We have to leave our "closet" and travel down the hall - masked, screaming Isaac in tow. He weighed in at 9.7kg. We travel back down hall - masked is ripped off at this point. A bit later, Dr. Sam Esparza comes in. (Awesome guy..) He mentions his high BP, and is going to order a kidney ultrasound to make sure the blood flow to his remaining kidney is as it should be. If the blood flow is not within normal range, it will make his BP raise. What happens in that case, I don't know. It is his only kidney he has left and that little bad boy better be in 100% working condition.
All is well, otherwise, and he gives the green light for the transfusion. Today, he receives Vincristine only. Yeah!
Good news to report - His LOH came back NEGATIVE!!
Tumor-specific loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH) for chromosomes 1p and 16q identifies a subset of Wilms' tumor patients who have a significantly increased risk of relapse and death. LOH for these chromosomal regions can now be used as an independent prognostic factor together with disease stage to target intensity of treatment to risk of treatment failure.
Nurse comes in a bit later, with her box of tricks, and starts to work on my little man. If only this child would sit still! But, what can you expect from an 8-month-old? I took along two new Hot Wheel cars that his big brother received for Christmas. (Isaac does not play with Hot Wheels, but I thought it may be a good ploy...) I had them ready to whip out once the nurse came in with his Chemo medication. Once she got there, and got ready, I took them out. She accessed his port, (not a flinch) and he looked at the cars for 3.99 seconds and forgot about them instantly. Thank goodness the port access and transfusion only takes a matter of minutes. I don't know what I would do if he had to have that needle in there any longer. My little guy is strong! It's such a struggle to hold him in place.
Wednesday's are a mixed emotion. They are a downer because I dread taking Isaac to have him pumped full of the toxic Chemo medication, but then they are one step closer to him being cancer free. It's a lose - win situation. This last week was rough for him - Thursday and Friday were great, with Saturday - Monday being the worst. He refused to eat, and was very nauseated. His mouth was sore for a few days, as well. Hoping this week is easier on his tiny body. Cancer sucks!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Another yukky day
If I could take his place, I would in a fraction of a second.
He is having what I think is, mouth pain. Mouth pain is a common side effect from the Chemo drugs. He is drooling so much, and he is starting to refuse food. Isaac is still drinking, thankfully.
Poor guy has just been downright cranky, and so not himself. His normal daily routine is all wacky, so he is napping at all different times of the day. Something that Mommy is not used to!
We are only one Chemo in. There is a long road ahead of us, and he is already feeling the effects of the drugs.
He is having what I think is, mouth pain. Mouth pain is a common side effect from the Chemo drugs. He is drooling so much, and he is starting to refuse food. Isaac is still drinking, thankfully.
Poor guy has just been downright cranky, and so not himself. His normal daily routine is all wacky, so he is napping at all different times of the day. Something that Mommy is not used to!
We are only one Chemo in. There is a long road ahead of us, and he is already feeling the effects of the drugs.
Boy in the bubble
I find it extremely hard to not turn him into that boy. Fighting a infection for a normal child is a challenge, let alone, fighting an infection in a immunosuppressed chemotherapy patient is downright scary as all heck! I have been keeping him indoors, in our safe haven we call home. I do take him out daily to pick up the kids from school, but that merely consists of: walk to car, wait for kids IN car, walk back into the house. I am terrified of taking him into a public place with a actual "roof" attached. (No fresh air).
They drill into your head, a million gazillion times it seems at each visit, that fevers are almost a guaranteed admission into the hospital. They do not take fevers lightly. Again, I am terrified! (When have I not been scared on a daily basis since that day in December?)
We actually walked out of the car on Friday... I felt bad for my other 3 kids having to endure being trapped at home, so I let them play at the park behind their school. I was sitting on a bench with Isaac, and this old lady sits down and starts chatting with us. I wasn't really listening to her, because all I could think of was keeping him away from arms reach so she wouldn't touch him. How sad is that?!
I cannot wait for the day, when this Chemo business is done and over with, so we can get on with our lives and Isaac may grow up like a normal toddler that he should be.
They drill into your head, a million gazillion times it seems at each visit, that fevers are almost a guaranteed admission into the hospital. They do not take fevers lightly. Again, I am terrified! (When have I not been scared on a daily basis since that day in December?)
We actually walked out of the car on Friday... I felt bad for my other 3 kids having to endure being trapped at home, so I let them play at the park behind their school. I was sitting on a bench with Isaac, and this old lady sits down and starts chatting with us. I wasn't really listening to her, because all I could think of was keeping him away from arms reach so she wouldn't touch him. How sad is that?!
I cannot wait for the day, when this Chemo business is done and over with, so we can get on with our lives and Isaac may grow up like a normal toddler that he should be.
Friday, January 8, 2010
THE Side Effects
Are starting to take place. Today was a so-so day, with good moments and bad ones (mostly bad). Isaac has been uber cranky, and I *think* he is feeling nauseated. Why do I say, "I *think*"? ... Because he cannot communicate to us, so we have to guess. He has not eaten much today, and he is drooling like mad, and gagging here and there. Tears at my heart. I gave him a dose of Zofran earlier this afternoon, hidden in a orange creme popsicle. (It is in pill form..) From now on, I am going to continue to the Zofran regardless, for the first 2-3 days after Chemo. The dose is scheduled every 8 hours, so he would be taking it once in the a.m., and once in the p.m. I would much rather prevent him from becoming sick, than wait for it to hit him like a ton of bricks.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Chemo treatment #1 down - 18 more to go
Busy, busy day today. First things first. I braved taking all three of my other munchkins into the Pediatrician's office today to receive the h1n1 vaccination. Since Isaac is going through Chemo, the very last thing we need is for him to get sick - especially with the h1n1 virus. Isaac had his vaccination yesterday at the Oncologist's. Dr. Esparza, Isaac's primary Oncologist highly recommended it, so I took his advice whole heartedly. Oh, boy, oh boy. The joy! They all seemed okay with the fact - they even had the order of who was getting it first, second and third... but when they lady actually came in with the shots, they all flipped! Here I am, with Isaac, trying to calm them down. Alexis refused to sit on the exam table, Izabella was shaking and Sheldon kep telling me, "Why you making me do this!". I felt horrible. All is better now, thanks to McDonald's $1 sundaes. (But, we have to go back for a booster in 1-month. Wish me luck!)
On to Isaac's Chemo...
We applied them EMLA cream at 12:15 p.m., and we were out of the house by 12:25 p.m.
We arrived at CHOC's OPI unit at 1:10 p.m., a little early for our 1:30 p.m. appointment. They weighed little man (9.65 kg) and immediately put us in a room - thank you, isolation! (He is isolated because he tested + for MRSA).
The nurse comes in and takes his vitals:
BP - 116/60
Temp - 36.6 C
She leaves, and comes back with a boatload of snacks, that soon enough, ended up crunched all over the floor. We sit and wait, watching a little TLC on the T.V.
A little bit later Dr. Shen comes in to do a quick check, and before we knew it, another nurse came in with a little box of Chemo goodies. Being the paranoid Mom that I am, I made her show me how they got the dose amount, and she also showed me the syringes with the same dosage. Hey, you never know... She proceeds to access his port, and he let out a little whine. It's hard to tell if he is actually in pain, or just a little ticked off because I have to hold his tiny arms so he does not try to yank out the needle. It seemed like she used a gazillion syringes full of stuff, but each time she uses a different med, she has to flush his port with saline. She first gave him the Zofran for nausea. Then came the Dactinomycin (which we will call "A"). The A is red. They call it the red devil. This is the medication that has the most side effects - the one that will make him nauseated. After that was the Vincristine (which we will call "V"). Following that, was the Heparin to keep his port from clogging up. He got really squirmy, and it was making me so nervous. Imagine an 8-month-old, squirming like a little worm, with a nice size needle just hanging out of his chest. They do not gauze it down because the total time from start to finish is actually less than 10 minutes. We just had to hang tight, and Mommy gritted her teeth. Finally, we are done, and she tops him off with a Spiderman bandaid. Thanks to Mr. Squirmy Wormie, the 10 minutes that it took to administer the medications, seemed like 30 minutes.
He has been awesome since then. No side effects to report. He devoured all his dinner, and has been playing like normal. They do say that it can take up to 3 cycles to start feeling the effects, and his hair will start to fall out between week 2 and 3 as well. Isaac's hair is just starting to become curly, so I will be really sad to see it go... but... it will grow back.
On to Isaac's Chemo...
We applied them EMLA cream at 12:15 p.m., and we were out of the house by 12:25 p.m.
We arrived at CHOC's OPI unit at 1:10 p.m., a little early for our 1:30 p.m. appointment. They weighed little man (9.65 kg) and immediately put us in a room - thank you, isolation! (He is isolated because he tested + for MRSA).
The nurse comes in and takes his vitals:
BP - 116/60
Temp - 36.6 C
She leaves, and comes back with a boatload of snacks, that soon enough, ended up crunched all over the floor. We sit and wait, watching a little TLC on the T.V.
A little bit later Dr. Shen comes in to do a quick check, and before we knew it, another nurse came in with a little box of Chemo goodies. Being the paranoid Mom that I am, I made her show me how they got the dose amount, and she also showed me the syringes with the same dosage. Hey, you never know... She proceeds to access his port, and he let out a little whine. It's hard to tell if he is actually in pain, or just a little ticked off because I have to hold his tiny arms so he does not try to yank out the needle. It seemed like she used a gazillion syringes full of stuff, but each time she uses a different med, she has to flush his port with saline. She first gave him the Zofran for nausea. Then came the Dactinomycin (which we will call "A"). The A is red. They call it the red devil. This is the medication that has the most side effects - the one that will make him nauseated. After that was the Vincristine (which we will call "V"). Following that, was the Heparin to keep his port from clogging up. He got really squirmy, and it was making me so nervous. Imagine an 8-month-old, squirming like a little worm, with a nice size needle just hanging out of his chest. They do not gauze it down because the total time from start to finish is actually less than 10 minutes. We just had to hang tight, and Mommy gritted her teeth. Finally, we are done, and she tops him off with a Spiderman bandaid. Thanks to Mr. Squirmy Wormie, the 10 minutes that it took to administer the medications, seemed like 30 minutes.
He has been awesome since then. No side effects to report. He devoured all his dinner, and has been playing like normal. They do say that it can take up to 3 cycles to start feeling the effects, and his hair will start to fall out between week 2 and 3 as well. Isaac's hair is just starting to become curly, so I will be really sad to see it go... but... it will grow back.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Pathology - Oncology - Chemo
Today was the day we have been waiting for since December 19th - diagnosis day. The wait has been absolutely agonizing.
Final Pathology results:
Stage II Wilms tumor - Favorable Histology (Thank you, God!) His tumor is considered a Stage II because the tumor traveled into a small vessel within the renal sinus, but was completely removed with surgery. We do not know, however, if there are tumor cells lingering behind. That is where the Chemo comes in. The Chemo will do a clean sweep, and hopefully (cross your fingers, toes, arms and legs - that it kills everything that is left "behind").
We are still waiting for some other pieces to the Pathology puzzle, which includes the results for the LOH screening. The Oncologist is predicting that they will be negative, but G forbid they are positive, we will go back in for a meeting to discuss other treatment options.
We are starting tomorrow with - Treatment Regimen: EE4A
100% outpatient! We are stoked. The original plan was to have him admitted every 3 weeks for 3-5 days, but they changed up the treatment regimen last week. Soooooo happy about that!! Leaving the other 3 kiddos once a month did not appeal to me at all. I really, REALLY dislike leaving them. (But, of course I will do anything in this world for my little man to be healthy again..)...
They accessed his port today for the first time since it was implanted. I was a tad bit worried for him! They applied the EMLA cream over his port site about 40 minutes - 1 hour before. The nurse cleaned his chest up, and then poked him. He didn't even flinch... but I did!!. Talk about a heart stopper watching them insert a needle into his little chest. After she was completed, she gave him a Transformers band aid. Cool beans!
We came home with 4 prescriptions. A huge tube of EMLA cream to apply before we leave the house for Chemo, Bactrim (antibiotic) to take every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to prevent infection, Zofran (anti-nausea), and Senna (stool softener) for when the little mister needs to poop! Talk about overwhelming.
On a side note: His surgical sites are healing up great!
Final Pathology results:
Stage II Wilms tumor - Favorable Histology (Thank you, God!) His tumor is considered a Stage II because the tumor traveled into a small vessel within the renal sinus, but was completely removed with surgery. We do not know, however, if there are tumor cells lingering behind. That is where the Chemo comes in. The Chemo will do a clean sweep, and hopefully (cross your fingers, toes, arms and legs - that it kills everything that is left "behind").
We are still waiting for some other pieces to the Pathology puzzle, which includes the results for the LOH screening. The Oncologist is predicting that they will be negative, but G forbid they are positive, we will go back in for a meeting to discuss other treatment options.
We are starting tomorrow with - Treatment Regimen: EE4A
100% outpatient! We are stoked. The original plan was to have him admitted every 3 weeks for 3-5 days, but they changed up the treatment regimen last week. Soooooo happy about that!! Leaving the other 3 kiddos once a month did not appeal to me at all. I really, REALLY dislike leaving them. (But, of course I will do anything in this world for my little man to be healthy again..)...
They accessed his port today for the first time since it was implanted. I was a tad bit worried for him! They applied the EMLA cream over his port site about 40 minutes - 1 hour before. The nurse cleaned his chest up, and then poked him. He didn't even flinch... but I did!!. Talk about a heart stopper watching them insert a needle into his little chest. After she was completed, she gave him a Transformers band aid. Cool beans!
We came home with 4 prescriptions. A huge tube of EMLA cream to apply before we leave the house for Chemo, Bactrim (antibiotic) to take every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to prevent infection, Zofran (anti-nausea), and Senna (stool softener) for when the little mister needs to poop! Talk about overwhelming.
On a side note: His surgical sites are healing up great!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Post-Op Urologist Appt
Went without a hitch.
Was in-and-out quick, except for the sign in and fill out the "routine paperwork". Isaac loves to make it a difficult task for me to write his name and birthdate - let alone 5 pages of crazy questions with crazy answers!
All looked great with his incision spot, and he is healing nicely. His incision on his neck is spitting out 2 stitches. Looks a little odd, but she convinced me not to worry.
Tomorrow is the meeting with the team of Oncologists. I am n-e-r-v-o-u-s.
Was in-and-out quick, except for the sign in and fill out the "routine paperwork". Isaac loves to make it a difficult task for me to write his name and birthdate - let alone 5 pages of crazy questions with crazy answers!
All looked great with his incision spot, and he is healing nicely. His incision on his neck is spitting out 2 stitches. Looks a little odd, but she convinced me not to worry.
Tomorrow is the meeting with the team of Oncologists. I am n-e-r-v-o-u-s.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year
Last year was going great, up until the last 2 weeks. This year is obviously just a long continuation of last months chaos, but I have faith that after this summer, the nightmare will be over and Isaac will be cancer free. Praying for a new year full of health, happiness and prosperity.
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