A "False Alarm"

Good evening,

Between Dirk's birthday, my brother's visit and me fighting off some kind of "bug" the past couple of days, there hasn't been much time for blog writing this week. Here is a recap of last Friday through today ...

Dane recovered from his post-procedure fatigue and was energetic enough to attend school last Friday afternoon. Although he still says some days that he doesn't want to go, once we pull up in front of the school he runs to the door and doesn't look back. When class ended that day, Dane and Ashley had a special visitor waiting for them at our house - their Uncle Scott! They quickly introduced him to the world of Wii, made him a character and proceeded to kick his butt in tennis! Friday evening we attended the 40th birthday party of our close friend Terry and the kids had a wonderful time playing Rock Band. The party goers were particularly encouraged to see Dane banging away on the drums and singing (albeit quietly) to "Run to the Hills" (the heavy metal genes are in his blood and it's safe to say they were not likely inherited from me)!

Ashley's ringette team started playoffs on Saturday and she had a big contingent out to watch, including her brother Dane. They were not victorious, however that was the expected outcome and she still has at least two more games this weekend. Saturday night was a real highlight for Dane and Dirk, as they attended the sell-out Moose game with Dane's 7/8 hockey team. He was VERY excited about this outing, especially the opportunity to hang out with his best friend Jack from school. The Moose were winners so that made the evening complete!

Sunday was "false alarm" day, as Dane was running a slight temperature for a few hours and this necessitated a trip to the Children's ER. The protocol for children with leukemia with expected low blood levels due to intense chemotherapy is an immediate blood test and administration of antibiotics. Although I anticipated there would be a chance he might have to be hospitalized even if his temp went down, I wasn't expecting hospitalization to be "automatic" as the ER doctor told me it likely would be. After the IV was put in, the blood taken and the antibiotics administered, Dane and I were preparing to be there for 48 hours. However, his blood results came back and because his levels were still "ok" that day and his temperature disappeared, we were allowed to leave. Between the nurse and I, we decided to leave his IV in so he could avoid any more "pokes" this week. Dane and I were taught how to "flush" the IV at home and I'm telling you, with that kid around, there is no way I can make a mistake - he's much too conscientious about these medical matters! Being granted a release was a welcome relief, as we were supposed to be celebrating Dirk's birthday with my family that evening. Dane and I were a tad late for the supper, although the turkey leftovers still tasted good a couple of hours later.

Dane felt well Monday so he went to school for the afternoon. Yesterday was his regular check-up at the Cancer Clinic and it turned a bit chaotic because I had to call Dirk away from work to attend with him as I was feeling awful and went to see my OB at Women's Hospital. I was having a lot of cramps that he couldn't pinpoint the cause of, however he determined it had nothing to do with the baby and sent me home with instructions to take tylenol and rest. I felt awful the rest of the day, however after a slow start today the pain has subsided and I'm feeling much better. Dane had his last spinal tap of the Intensive Consolidation (IC) phase today (that made four in a row) and it went very smoothly. We were in and out of HSC in two hours - record time for Dane having that procedure. He's been at school the past two afternoons as well and I'm hopeful we can go five-for-five this week - that too would be a record since his diagnosis.

We have no more scheduled check-ups until next Tuesday and the ultimate objective now is to keep his temperature low. Based upon yesterday's blood work results, he is "neutropenic" again and would definitely have to be admitted if his temp goes above 38 degrees. He officially concluded his chemo treatments for the first month of IC and now we wait until next Tuesday's blood work to see if his levels are high enough to jump right into the next month. This decision is based upon his platelet count (which was high enough yesterday to keep going) and his neutrophils (which were not high enough yesterday). Very few children are ready to start right away without a week or two in between for the counts to recover, so that is what we are anticipating will happen. However, we have to be prepared either way, because if he is ready to start again, he will be hospitalized next Tuesday/Wednesday for the administration of a chemo drug that is followed by IV fluids. We will keep you posted via the blog updates.

We continue to do "ok", however I would be lying if I didn't say out loud that some days are really, really hard. We are of course relieved and encouraged by how well Dane is doing thus far, however all of our lives are so very different and this is the way it will be for months and years to come. I yearn for life to be normal, to not worry so much about his every step and mood, and to not have the anxiety that comes with the third trimester of pregnancy. Although I know I can't change the situation we are in, some days getting really ticked off about it, even if just for a short while, gives me the strength I need to keep going.

Take care and thank you for your ongoing support - Janie and Dirk