Our First 'Set Back'
We went to our appointment yesterday expecting to get a triple or quadruple shot of chemo. To bring our boy home and perhaps have him tired, sick and even puking. Perhaps just tired. Perhaps just a little crabby. Perhaps feeling just fine.
We signed him up for the next phase of the leukemia study and found out that he is in the 'standard care' arm of the study. I have to admit I'm happy about that. The other arm included 4 extra shots of a drug that could potentially (although this is very rare) send him into anaphylactic shock (this is a drug he'll get anyway - we weren't putting him extreme, unnecessary harm - it just felt a little scary).
As it turned out tho Eliot's neutrophil levels were too low to start his treatment. So they sent us home. No chemo at all. No oral chemo. No shot in the spinal fluid. No push in the port. No extra shot in the leg. Nothing.
They called later and said to go ahead and skip one of his medications this week to give his liver a break (his liver numbers are a bit elevated).
This means we get a week off. No chemo. Only 20 total mL of drugs total this week. And those just on Monday and Tuesday. His tiny little body gets a break from treatment.
Its something you could call a set back. It means his 3 and a half years of treatment is now 3 and a half years and one week long.
I don't mind a bit. They're not worried about his liver. They just decided to give it a break (lots of the drugs we're giving him will mess with his liver a little bit - this is not totally unexpected). They're not worried about his progress. His low neutrophil numbers might mean he is fighting a virus. So far he is fighting it well. He is in a great mood, he looks and acts and eats like a happy, healthy kid.
This set back is a vacation. A respite. A chance for Eliot to be 2 and a half.
For the first time in my life being 'behind schedule' is welcome. Its relaxing. Its delightful.
Yeah for a vacation. Yeah for a break. Yeah for getting started again next week. Yeah for kicking some cancer ass and moving forward.
We signed him up for the next phase of the leukemia study and found out that he is in the 'standard care' arm of the study. I have to admit I'm happy about that. The other arm included 4 extra shots of a drug that could potentially (although this is very rare) send him into anaphylactic shock (this is a drug he'll get anyway - we weren't putting him extreme, unnecessary harm - it just felt a little scary).
As it turned out tho Eliot's neutrophil levels were too low to start his treatment. So they sent us home. No chemo at all. No oral chemo. No shot in the spinal fluid. No push in the port. No extra shot in the leg. Nothing.
They called later and said to go ahead and skip one of his medications this week to give his liver a break (his liver numbers are a bit elevated).
This means we get a week off. No chemo. Only 20 total mL of drugs total this week. And those just on Monday and Tuesday. His tiny little body gets a break from treatment.
Its something you could call a set back. It means his 3 and a half years of treatment is now 3 and a half years and one week long.
I don't mind a bit. They're not worried about his liver. They just decided to give it a break (lots of the drugs we're giving him will mess with his liver a little bit - this is not totally unexpected). They're not worried about his progress. His low neutrophil numbers might mean he is fighting a virus. So far he is fighting it well. He is in a great mood, he looks and acts and eats like a happy, healthy kid.
This set back is a vacation. A respite. A chance for Eliot to be 2 and a half.
For the first time in my life being 'behind schedule' is welcome. Its relaxing. Its delightful.
Yeah for a vacation. Yeah for a break. Yeah for getting started again next week. Yeah for kicking some cancer ass and moving forward.
posted by Sara at 1:23 PM
2 Comments:
yup! like having a snow day. Livers have a good history of recovering from various chemical onslaughts. Neutriphils will regain a safe number.
love you all
auntie donna
think of the liver as a large strainer...You are going to learn more about blood components than you ever wanted to know..Hang on Mother of the YEAR!!!!
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