A Nauseating 3rd Round

There was a reason I could not even get Christopher to look at me for a picture...he was having one of the worst weeks since his relapse and was not a happy patient. 6 days of nausea, vomiting and of course boredom. As you can see by the picture he comes fully equipped for the occasion with his various technological distractions.
Though he took quite a beating he managed to bounce back well enough to make it the long awaited Linkin Park concert in Tampa! Many many thanks to Dean for the incredible seats and backstage passes. It was a much deserved treat for Christopher to not only see his favorite band in concert but meet them as well! A great end to a rough week!
In less than 10 days following his admission to chemo his blood counts went from over 5,000 to under 70. Once again we are hoping to avoid nuetrapenia and a trip to the ER with a fever.
Next week I meet with his oncologist to discuss the next 3 months of Christopher's treatment. There may be some changes where one of the drugs may be tapered down or discontinued due to the risk of heavy side effects. We may even opt for an entirely different protocol. There is alot to consider and a much to think about, but primarily Christopher's well being and quality of life are the main considerations. His Dr.'s are still very determined to put him in complete remission so we are eager to see what they have to say and what his prognosis is at this point.
As always your thoughts and prayers are welcomed and much appreciated.
To a fever free "in between" time!

Backstage at Linkin Park

Happy 14th Christopher!

On January 7th Christopher turned 14 years old. He wanted to do some shooting so we went to Amelia Shotgun Sports where he rented a Beretta 680 over/under. He shot 2 rounds of trap...where he got 21/25 hits! He also did a round of sporting clays which was a but more difficult but fun nonetheless. It was good to see him out and about doing something he enjoys...and is quite good at I must admit!

I was glad to have had the opportunity to spend this special day with him and am very proud of how well he is handling his battle with cancer.

Happy Birthday Christopher...to many many more!

Lots of love! Mom

Special thanks to Nick for his patience and guidance throughout the day and for taking the time the teach Chris about sporting clays. Many, many thanks as well to Clyde for his kindness and generosity. It was very much appreciated and great to see such a well run and friendly operation.

Fever #2 Right on Schedule

Back to the ER we went on Thursday the 30th. Almost a week after being discharged from his second round of Chemo, Christopher fevered as his counts had dramatically dropped since the weekend. Invariably, with the heavy duty chemotherapy drugs Chris is receiving his counts will drop (eventually to 0) immediately following his hospital stay and somewhere between day 11 and 13 from the start of his chemo he will fever. At that point he will require immediate IV antibiotics and blood cultures until the fevers stop and his counts recover. Fortunately his "Neulasta" shot came on schedule so he was able to go home later New Year's day. Within the next couple weeks his counts were back up to almost 5,000...a somewhat false read due to his shot, and they will slowly drop even without chemo but at least it gives him some strength and energy and room to move before the next round. His ANC needs to be at least 1,000 before getting more chemo. He has been doing very well both physically and mentally aside from having cold/flu virus that was going around since before Christmas. He has been on antibiotics ever since seeing as a dull cough persists and could be also due to his lungs having had such trauma from the recent surgeries. He is very susceptible to pneumonia so he is also on an additional antibiotic-Bactrim-that he takes every Saturday and Sunday regardless of how well he is feeling.

We also got the results of Christopher's last Chest CT. It seems to be OK (free of any lesions), however, (there is always a "but"), there are areas that show up which are assumed to be scar tissue and another two new areas that appear to be blood vessels. So I am going with a clean scan but I will admit I will feel better next month when I see improvements on those questionable areas.
We also learned that his chemo protocol might be cut short as he will have maxxed out on one of the drugs-Ifosfamide (IFEX). He is due to go in this Saturday, January 15th for his 3rd cycle and should be home Thursday evening. What will happen after is to be determined. A bit disheartening...frustrating...even scary maybe? You bet. We were warned that this is experimental, that there is no silver bullet that can cure Osteosarcoma but I didn't realize that this plan would be cut short and that what comes next will be even more uncertain. Seems I always have a question to which there is really no definitive answer...my own "path" so to speak and lesson in letting go and trusting what will be. Still, Christopher continues to hang tough and fight like a true champ. He is pretty unaffected by the many bumps in the road and I believe that is what allows him to persevere.

I will be sure to provide more on the next step with his treatment when I talk to his oncologist.
Until then we hope for a quiet chemo week and look forward to a big treat for Christopher next weekend!

Below is Christopher with Eric Mason of Premier Physical Therapy.

In between hospital stays Chris has had to have physical therapy again to try and relieve some of the pain he has been having on his left knee. Much of that comes from compensating for the prosthetic's mechanics. Eric, and his partner Chris were very effective in correcting Christopher's gait and making the necessary changes and recommendations for his prosthesis. It has made a big difference so far and hopefully will alleviate some of his symptoms.