Cancer Still Sucks!

I know I've said many times how much strength I steal from all of you

and as much as I would love to have you with me on days like today, I thought I'd

walk you through step by step what Kean goes through when he gets his Spinal Taps.

At the Cancer center (MSTI) they first accessed the port in his chest and took a blood sample

so we could find out his numbers before moving forward.

They were low - again.  But no surprise.

Then we moved on to get his vitals (usually we do that first).

Here's the little whipper snapper getting weighed.

He lost a little this week.  Gotta step up the adding of fat to his diet!

 Usually, he hates this part-- the dreaded blood pressure cuff.

But today, for some reason, we got a reading on the first try (instead of the 8th or 12th).

Must be because my dear friend Pam Brown was with me, keeping him entertained.

 Since his numbers were high enough to move forward with today's Chemo,

we headed next door to the hospital to the PICU for lots of waiting.

 Dr. Camilo (his primary Oncologist) was his doctor today.

Dr. Camilo was Kean's doctor that first awful day and week

when we got the news and were admitted to the hospital.

I think he is brilliant.

For the first time ever, when Dr. Camilo was checking his lymph nodes in his armpits,

Kean got the giggles.  It was the best!

Finally, after much waiting and trying to keep a ravenous Kean entertained, the two

doctors, two nurses and one Respiratory Therapist arrived, put him under and

did the Spinal Tap where they gave him Methotrexate in his spine and brain, Vincristine

in his port and a flu shot in his thigh (since he was asleep).

Hopefully, he won't realize what hit him.

The procedure was fast... but waking him up took over an hour.

 And oh, boy did he want to keep sawing logs at the hospital.

He did not want to wake up.

Sir Grouchiness turned a corner after "Aunt" Pam bought him a milk shake

and some french fries on the way home.

It became clear to me that this needs to be our after Chemo ritual-- a milk shake.

Pam had a bit of a hard time with all Kean went through and seeing all the other sick children today.

But what a comfort for me to have my sweet friends accompany me each time to help with Kean

and help with Mama.



By the way, sad, sad news to report.  Kean's neighbor in the hospital-- the sweet

baby he connected with (and we fell in love with) passed away

over the weekend from the same kind of Cancer Kean is fighting.

It was a tough, tough day.  Our family is mourning for little Bella tonight.

She was only 22 months.