One of today's chemotherapy meds was dependent on his white counts being 1,000 or higher, and they were not, so The Boy did not get his Actinomycin-D. He'll get it next week, assuming that his counts are high enough.
So it was a fairly long stay at the center this week, and will be a fairly long stay next week as well because he will (hopefully) actually get the AMD this next time. Unless he continues to have low counts, he'll still have the CT scan as scheduled.
With lower white cell counts, it means that he may be more prone to infection (although the doctor did not indicate that we need to restrict his activities). Unfortunately, we have a kid who likes to crawl around and put stuff in his mouth. And he has an amazing pincer grasp (thank you, BLW). Fortunately, he is more likely to go for things that are (or were) food...but if I missed a green pea from yesterday's lunch in my cleanup efforts, I'd really rather that the immunocompromized baby NOT eat it because I can't imagine that sitting on the floor improves the quality and nutritional value of the vegetable.
Showing posts with label treatment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label treatment. Show all posts
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Coming up on Week 6
Any treatment week that is a multiple of 3 is one in which The Boy receives 2 medications and will receive a Zofran IV as a precursor. So this week it's week 6. Not a red diaper week, at least. We'll be there a little longer; if The Boy starts to get sleepy, he and I might go into the quiet room and snuggle up for a nap.
I love naps with The Boy.
I failed to nap today, as per usual, although I usually nap post-treatment with The Boy and Musical Daddy. Something about the whole process makes me all sleepy.
Not sure if I mentioned it, but looking at The Boy's calendar, after week 10 he will only receive actual chemo meds on the "multiple of 3" weeks. That means that recovery from Diaper Doom is a lot easier.
Today was a dull day. I didn't leave the property (I left the house only to get something out of the car and to take diapers off the line) because it was just that kind of day. Tomorrow I'll exercise first thing in the morning and make breakfast for The Boy and Musical Daddy.
I did get an "exciting" email thanking me for my recent blood donation and informing me that my cholesterol was 153. Seeing as how it was 203 in 2004 (no, I don't know why), that's pretty darned good.
I love naps with The Boy.
I failed to nap today, as per usual, although I usually nap post-treatment with The Boy and Musical Daddy. Something about the whole process makes me all sleepy.
Not sure if I mentioned it, but looking at The Boy's calendar, after week 10 he will only receive actual chemo meds on the "multiple of 3" weeks. That means that recovery from Diaper Doom is a lot easier.
Today was a dull day. I didn't leave the property (I left the house only to get something out of the car and to take diapers off the line) because it was just that kind of day. Tomorrow I'll exercise first thing in the morning and make breakfast for The Boy and Musical Daddy.
I did get an "exciting" email thanking me for my recent blood donation and informing me that my cholesterol was 153. Seeing as how it was 203 in 2004 (no, I don't know why), that's pretty darned good.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Best Resters
Since I am awake and it's only just after 7:00, while The Boy and Musical Daddy are still sleeping, it's clear that I do not win the "best rester" award.
The Golden Pillow...the mattress trophy...The Bronze Blankie...none of that for me. Not for lack of trying--I wanted to nap with The Boy yesterday but it just wasn't happening.
Yesterday I went out to lunch with some other moms from an online group. We all live close to each other (relatively speaking) and we get together occasionally for park playdates or museum visits, and occasional house visits as well. The leader of the group (appointed so because she takes most of the initiative in arranging events and also does the online group maintenance) has a son who just turned 5 and a son who is 8 months or so. The Boy will likely be friends with the younger son once they are old enough to have friends.
We had Indian food which, to me, is fantastic. I know that it's an acquired taste...but somehow I think that The Boy would enjoy it. It's a lunch buffet during the day, so I'd imagine that at his age he would just be expected to eat from our plates. Which he does (sometimes literally, by swiping food from us). One of these days we'll go as a family. Preferably on a day where we anticipate that The Boy will actually have an appetite.
So far he seems better than last weekend. The Boy and I went to services last night which is not nearly as difficult as one might imagine. For much of the service, he has no problem just sitting on my lap. Once he gets antsy, it isn't a problem to let him get down and do some crawling. When we first entered and I had to get him out of the sling, he actually stood for a good five-ish seconds! Long enough to realize that he was standing. Then he fell on his bum.
It's been helpful, we think, that he's in cloth dipes because there's so much more padding there and he isn't afraid to just plop right down on his behind. Another friend told us that their little girl would sometimes get a bruised behind just from plopping down on the ground so much. But then, she was walking at 9 or 10 months so she must have gotten over it enough to practice!
At any rate, I need to go hang up the diapers so that enough of them will be dry; otherwise, The Boy will have none.
The Golden Pillow...the mattress trophy...The Bronze Blankie...none of that for me. Not for lack of trying--I wanted to nap with The Boy yesterday but it just wasn't happening.
Yesterday I went out to lunch with some other moms from an online group. We all live close to each other (relatively speaking) and we get together occasionally for park playdates or museum visits, and occasional house visits as well. The leader of the group (appointed so because she takes most of the initiative in arranging events and also does the online group maintenance) has a son who just turned 5 and a son who is 8 months or so. The Boy will likely be friends with the younger son once they are old enough to have friends.
We had Indian food which, to me, is fantastic. I know that it's an acquired taste...but somehow I think that The Boy would enjoy it. It's a lunch buffet during the day, so I'd imagine that at his age he would just be expected to eat from our plates. Which he does (sometimes literally, by swiping food from us). One of these days we'll go as a family. Preferably on a day where we anticipate that The Boy will actually have an appetite.
So far he seems better than last weekend. The Boy and I went to services last night which is not nearly as difficult as one might imagine. For much of the service, he has no problem just sitting on my lap. Once he gets antsy, it isn't a problem to let him get down and do some crawling. When we first entered and I had to get him out of the sling, he actually stood for a good five-ish seconds! Long enough to realize that he was standing. Then he fell on his bum.
It's been helpful, we think, that he's in cloth dipes because there's so much more padding there and he isn't afraid to just plop right down on his behind. Another friend told us that their little girl would sometimes get a bruised behind just from plopping down on the ground so much. But then, she was walking at 9 or 10 months so she must have gotten over it enough to practice!
At any rate, I need to go hang up the diapers so that enough of them will be dry; otherwise, The Boy will have none.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Treatment, Week 5
Today The Boy had another "routine" treatment visit. This one was very simple--in the door, check in, BP/Temp, hang out and play, then checkup and chemo procedure. The center was hopping today because there was a mom with 5 kids. Get this--a set of twins and a set of triplets. The triplets are 5, and one of them has Wilms as well. She has gone through treatment and I guess she's doing some more, but she looks pretty good other than the fact that she has no hair.
I can't imagine having to go through all this with other children in the house that also need our love and attention. I guess we're lucky in that respect. Lucky indeed.
Next week will be another longer visit because he has to get a second drug in addition to the Vincristine. I think that they'll give him a Zofran IV as well before he gets the Actinomycin-D.
I don't know why, but "Vincristine" sounds both sinister and poisonous. But it does good for those who must receive it. I guess in a way it's both good and bad. Kind of a Dark Knight, if you will.
Come on, that was clever!
Anyhow, the CT scan is on the 26th and we got a definite answer from The Boy's regular doctor, saying that if the scan shows that he's ready for surgery, after the surgeon has had a chance to look at it, he'll go in pretty soon after that. Two questions that we still need to ask (maybe I'll call later): will The Boy receive his chemo treatment that week, and approximately how long will he be staying in the hospital this time around? I'm guessing that he won't be in as long as he was last time--we had to wait for pathology results before he could be discharged. Maybe this time, even though they'll still have to send whatever they remove out for tests and such, they'll just send us home once The Boy is recovered. I'm not really thinking that he won't need surgery, even though that's a possibility, but I am wondering about what his doctor said with regards to hair loss and how he might not lose his hair at all!
Wouldn't that be humorous (according to the Cancer Mom's Dictionary...if this doesn't exist, then I might have to get together with some other cancer moms and create it)--a kid with two bald grandfathers and a bald dad whose fortitude in hair growth is so strong that chemotherapy can't even cause hair loss.
Anyhow, I'll probably have more to say later but right now it's time for a diaper change. And of course, he's napping.
I can't imagine having to go through all this with other children in the house that also need our love and attention. I guess we're lucky in that respect. Lucky indeed.
Next week will be another longer visit because he has to get a second drug in addition to the Vincristine. I think that they'll give him a Zofran IV as well before he gets the Actinomycin-D.
I don't know why, but "Vincristine" sounds both sinister and poisonous. But it does good for those who must receive it. I guess in a way it's both good and bad. Kind of a Dark Knight, if you will.
Come on, that was clever!
Anyhow, the CT scan is on the 26th and we got a definite answer from The Boy's regular doctor, saying that if the scan shows that he's ready for surgery, after the surgeon has had a chance to look at it, he'll go in pretty soon after that. Two questions that we still need to ask (maybe I'll call later): will The Boy receive his chemo treatment that week, and approximately how long will he be staying in the hospital this time around? I'm guessing that he won't be in as long as he was last time--we had to wait for pathology results before he could be discharged. Maybe this time, even though they'll still have to send whatever they remove out for tests and such, they'll just send us home once The Boy is recovered. I'm not really thinking that he won't need surgery, even though that's a possibility, but I am wondering about what his doctor said with regards to hair loss and how he might not lose his hair at all!
Wouldn't that be humorous (according to the Cancer Mom's Dictionary...if this doesn't exist, then I might have to get together with some other cancer moms and create it)--a kid with two bald grandfathers and a bald dad whose fortitude in hair growth is so strong that chemotherapy can't even cause hair loss.
Anyhow, I'll probably have more to say later but right now it's time for a diaper change. And of course, he's napping.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Treatment: Week 4
Tomorrow is Week 4 of The Boy's cancer treatment.
Let me just say that it still burns me up to have to say that my 11-month-old baby boy, the most beautiful little creature in the world to me, has cancer, no matter how "good" this particular type of cancer is. It's just a really hard group of words to say, about a sweetie baby.
My mom had cancer, and her treatment took place during my pregnancy with The Boy. She absolutely sailed through the process, driving herself to chemotherapy for all-day treatment. She'd go for a week and then be off for two weeks. And wouldn't you know it--she would bring in treats and themed stuff each time she was there. I think that the first time she just wanted to check things out, but after that, one week she brought Valentine's candy; the next week she brought St. Patty's Day stuff a little early; after that it was Easter/Passover; then it was Memorial Day, and I think that she finished it off with Flag Day or something like that. Chemotherapy is cumulative, and each week was a little bit more difficult. And, rather than getting time off for good behavior, they gave her the 6th week of treatment because they felt that she could tolerate it. She had a few episodes of neutropenia (and was in the hospital, where they put up a sign that said "No fruits or vegetables!" which is funny if you know my mother) during the process and required a few blood transfusions during the course of her treatment. Of course, she lost all of her hair. Her hairdresser cried at the wig store (she's had the same hairdresser for 21 years). My mother, on the other hand, was excited because she didn't have to shave her legs for months and weren't they just silky smooth! She had to have radiation which wore her out a bit and right at the end of her radiation, when she was exhausted, she came here to await (and wait and wait) the arrival of The Boy.
I am telling you this because even though my mother's ordeal sounds just like that--an ordeal--it feels somewhat less awful to say "My mother has cancer" than to say "My baby has cancer."
Okay, pity party over.
As I was saying...week 4 treatment is tomorrow. This is a pretty simple session, as are many of the sessions. He'll go to the center and we'll get a nametag to put on his ankle. Everyone there will faint from him as usual...he's cute (I might be biased) and he's a fun little guy. As soon as we get there, they call up to the pharmacy to prepare the various chemotherapy drugs. The Boy has his temperature and blood pressure taken and is weighed. While we wait for the chemotherapy drugs to come down, we play. There is SO much playing to be done at the center that he doesn't seem to mind that we're not at home. Often, we have snacks. The kitchenette has fresh fruit, fruit juices, occasional sandwiches, and donuts (we usually have a donut on our way out the door). Musical Daddy also has coffee.
Then comes the actual treatment. First, the oncologist gives him a check-up and talks with us about how he's doing. The nurse then accesses his medi-port, which means that they stick the needle in there. She flushes the line with saline and then draws blood for testing. I should mention that prior to our arrival we have already placed a generous amount of numbing cream over the port site, so this does not hurt the boy save for a possible pinch. Following this, she injects any "IV Push" medications into the line (which means that they're just a quick shot instead of a slow drip). The one that he receives the most is called Vincristine (or Oncovin). He also may receive Actinomycin-D as an IV Push. The last drug is called Adriamycin or Doxorubicin. Anyone who knows present or former cancer patients knows that this is the one that turns your pee red. Why? Because the drug itself is bright red. Adriamycin is a small IV drip that is preceded by an IV drip of Zofran, which is an anti-nausea medicine. In order for them to administer Adriamycin, the patient's blood counts have to be high enough. Last week was a "red" week, so we had to spend a longer time at the center. We also used gDiapers for a few changes immediately following that treatment.
After all of the treatments are done, the nurse flushes the line again and takes out the needle, and then The Boy gets a cool little bandage.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with our particular schedule change that is associated with chemotherapy, I'll go ahead and review it. We have to change The Boy's diapers every 2 hours for roughly 36 hours (the doctor said 24-48, and then she said just 24, so we decided to go with the treatment day and all of the following day until bedtime). Changing diapers every 2 hours is close to normal for us...except at night. As in, we have to wake him, and ourselves, every 2 hours, so that he can get a new diaper. Also, ordinarily he may go a little longer if he happens to be in the middle of a nap. Nope--we have to interrupt. Sometimes we can change him without waking him or at least we can get him back to sleep pretty quickly--other times we're not so lucky.
Last week, as well as after week 0 treatment, my parents were here and my mother helped with diaper duty. After week 2 treatment, my sister came in to visit and helped take care of The Boy so that Musical Daddy could get stuff done. She also babysat so that we could go see Dark Knight (excellent flick). Week 1, and this week, we're alone at home, so we're probably going to be a little more tired. And we're going to have to do our best not to bite each other's heads off.
I have to say--our relationship is really pretty good. We can communicate well and if one of us gets annoyed or says something that isn't the nicest, we forgive each other easily. Especially now, while our lives are turned a bit on their ears.
Let me just say that it still burns me up to have to say that my 11-month-old baby boy, the most beautiful little creature in the world to me, has cancer, no matter how "good" this particular type of cancer is. It's just a really hard group of words to say, about a sweetie baby.
My mom had cancer, and her treatment took place during my pregnancy with The Boy. She absolutely sailed through the process, driving herself to chemotherapy for all-day treatment. She'd go for a week and then be off for two weeks. And wouldn't you know it--she would bring in treats and themed stuff each time she was there. I think that the first time she just wanted to check things out, but after that, one week she brought Valentine's candy; the next week she brought St. Patty's Day stuff a little early; after that it was Easter/Passover; then it was Memorial Day, and I think that she finished it off with Flag Day or something like that. Chemotherapy is cumulative, and each week was a little bit more difficult. And, rather than getting time off for good behavior, they gave her the 6th week of treatment because they felt that she could tolerate it. She had a few episodes of neutropenia (and was in the hospital, where they put up a sign that said "No fruits or vegetables!" which is funny if you know my mother) during the process and required a few blood transfusions during the course of her treatment. Of course, she lost all of her hair. Her hairdresser cried at the wig store (she's had the same hairdresser for 21 years). My mother, on the other hand, was excited because she didn't have to shave her legs for months and weren't they just silky smooth! She had to have radiation which wore her out a bit and right at the end of her radiation, when she was exhausted, she came here to await (and wait and wait) the arrival of The Boy.
I am telling you this because even though my mother's ordeal sounds just like that--an ordeal--it feels somewhat less awful to say "My mother has cancer" than to say "My baby has cancer."
Okay, pity party over.
As I was saying...week 4 treatment is tomorrow. This is a pretty simple session, as are many of the sessions. He'll go to the center and we'll get a nametag to put on his ankle. Everyone there will faint from him as usual...he's cute (I might be biased) and he's a fun little guy. As soon as we get there, they call up to the pharmacy to prepare the various chemotherapy drugs. The Boy has his temperature and blood pressure taken and is weighed. While we wait for the chemotherapy drugs to come down, we play. There is SO much playing to be done at the center that he doesn't seem to mind that we're not at home. Often, we have snacks. The kitchenette has fresh fruit, fruit juices, occasional sandwiches, and donuts (we usually have a donut on our way out the door). Musical Daddy also has coffee.
Then comes the actual treatment. First, the oncologist gives him a check-up and talks with us about how he's doing. The nurse then accesses his medi-port, which means that they stick the needle in there. She flushes the line with saline and then draws blood for testing. I should mention that prior to our arrival we have already placed a generous amount of numbing cream over the port site, so this does not hurt the boy save for a possible pinch. Following this, she injects any "IV Push" medications into the line (which means that they're just a quick shot instead of a slow drip). The one that he receives the most is called Vincristine (or Oncovin). He also may receive Actinomycin-D as an IV Push. The last drug is called Adriamycin or Doxorubicin. Anyone who knows present or former cancer patients knows that this is the one that turns your pee red. Why? Because the drug itself is bright red. Adriamycin is a small IV drip that is preceded by an IV drip of Zofran, which is an anti-nausea medicine. In order for them to administer Adriamycin, the patient's blood counts have to be high enough. Last week was a "red" week, so we had to spend a longer time at the center. We also used gDiapers for a few changes immediately following that treatment.
After all of the treatments are done, the nurse flushes the line again and takes out the needle, and then The Boy gets a cool little bandage.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with our particular schedule change that is associated with chemotherapy, I'll go ahead and review it. We have to change The Boy's diapers every 2 hours for roughly 36 hours (the doctor said 24-48, and then she said just 24, so we decided to go with the treatment day and all of the following day until bedtime). Changing diapers every 2 hours is close to normal for us...except at night. As in, we have to wake him, and ourselves, every 2 hours, so that he can get a new diaper. Also, ordinarily he may go a little longer if he happens to be in the middle of a nap. Nope--we have to interrupt. Sometimes we can change him without waking him or at least we can get him back to sleep pretty quickly--other times we're not so lucky.
Last week, as well as after week 0 treatment, my parents were here and my mother helped with diaper duty. After week 2 treatment, my sister came in to visit and helped take care of The Boy so that Musical Daddy could get stuff done. She also babysat so that we could go see Dark Knight (excellent flick). Week 1, and this week, we're alone at home, so we're probably going to be a little more tired. And we're going to have to do our best not to bite each other's heads off.
I have to say--our relationship is really pretty good. We can communicate well and if one of us gets annoyed or says something that isn't the nicest, we forgive each other easily. Especially now, while our lives are turned a bit on their ears.
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