Day 93: Getting back to good
It's odd, how time marches on. And how your perspective changes. And, sometimes, how losing your way gets you back on track. In any case, this is becoming a bit too philosophical for a Weeberts blog post.
Chemo Update:
Well, to be brief -- there isn't much to say. Little B's last scheduled chemo was on June 20. He then had two scheduled weeks off. It was really amazing to have a little time for him to recover and recuperate. He needed a break. We were have an increasingly difficult time managing his constipation (we keep it real here, and Vincristine is a b**ch for causing constipation). He was also getting worn down. In any case, it was a lovely break. Well, when we rolled back to Doernbechers to start our next cycle of chemo, we found that Little B's ANC number had bottomed out. We also found out that Little B's chemo cycle wasn't 12 months, it's more likely to run 15 months. For some reason, 15 months seems like a long, long time.
But back to the low ANC numbers. ANC, absolute neutrophil count, is used to determine the risk of infection. If you are feeling math-y, ANC is calculated by multiplying the total white cell count by the percentage of neutrophils and then dividing by 100. Long story short, if a person's ANC is 500 to 1000, they have slightly increased risk of getting infections. If a person's ANC is 300 to 500, they are at moderate risk of getting infections. If ANC is less than 300, then you are at high risk of getting infections. If Little B's ANC is below 1,000, then no chemo is given (too great of a risk for infection). Last week, Little B's ANC was at 400. This week, it's 600. According to Little B's oncologist, Carboplatin (the other chemo drug he's on) tends to cause delayed ANC reductions. He's not worried, so we're not worried. I am trying to get him to wash Little B's hands more, make sure that we aren't in places where there are lots of kids touching things (i.e., McDonalds play structures), and such. I'm not sure it will help, but it makes me feel better.
Life:
It's amazing to see Little B off chemotherapy. The kid is a stinker. He's also a ton of fun. He particularly enjoys torturing Big A. He's running more, with more energy. He loves, loves, loves his daddy.
Big A is a bit of a mystery for me lately. He loves staying home and playing -- imaginative play. Constantly. There's always bad guys and good guys, but he's not too strict on being a particular side. I've been trying to talk him into outings lately, but he's not particularly interested. He just tells me he'd rather say home and play. Walk to the park? Meh. Not really. He'd rather play. It's really odd. I guess this is what summers are for, though: doing your own thing. Having fun. Reading and playing.
Vacation:
We had a lovely mini-vacation to Depoe Bay, Oregon. We rented a house on the beach -- it was amazing. We spent time on the beach at least twice each day -- Big A loved "challenging" the waves (and ended up losing a good portion of the time!). We also we there during a few days of negative tides. Which was AWESOME! We got to go observe tide pools -- there were tons of star fish, anemone, and little fish. We had recently read the Magic School Bus book on tide pools, and it was awesome to see what we learned in the book for real. We also went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Twice. Also awesome! We became members of the Aquarium, so we will be sure to go back.
We wandered through Depoe Bay one day, which is a charming city. We also spent a few hours at Devil's Lake park, which was much fun. There is an awesome play structure there, as well as a place to fly kites (well, it's just an open space, but good for kite flying all the same).
In all, it was an amazing experience. Some funny moments:
1. I inadvertently acted as Alex's "wingman" at the park. The conversation went like this:
Big A, to me: "Hey Mom, do you remember when we caught that shark?"
Me (confused, thinking he's doing something imaginative): "Yeah, you were really brave."
Big A, to cute blond girl standing just behind me: "Hi, I'm Alex. Want to play chase?"
Cute blond girl: "Sounds cool. Let's play!"
2. So G and Little B were at the beach, and I was at the rental making dinner. I was at the end of a hall when Little B burst in the door, giggling and having fun with G. He ran toward me, giggling, with his arms open, yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" I thought briefly about the past year, and the miracles that we had experienced with him. My heart swelled with maternal pride and love. He ran into my arms, still giggling, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" And then he bit me on the shoulder. Hard. Ah, parenthood.
Chemo Update:
Well, to be brief -- there isn't much to say. Little B's last scheduled chemo was on June 20. He then had two scheduled weeks off. It was really amazing to have a little time for him to recover and recuperate. He needed a break. We were have an increasingly difficult time managing his constipation (we keep it real here, and Vincristine is a b**ch for causing constipation). He was also getting worn down. In any case, it was a lovely break. Well, when we rolled back to Doernbechers to start our next cycle of chemo, we found that Little B's ANC number had bottomed out. We also found out that Little B's chemo cycle wasn't 12 months, it's more likely to run 15 months. For some reason, 15 months seems like a long, long time.
But back to the low ANC numbers. ANC, absolute neutrophil count, is used to determine the risk of infection. If you are feeling math-y, ANC is calculated by multiplying the total white cell count by the percentage of neutrophils and then dividing by 100. Long story short, if a person's ANC is 500 to 1000, they have slightly increased risk of getting infections. If a person's ANC is 300 to 500, they are at moderate risk of getting infections. If ANC is less than 300, then you are at high risk of getting infections. If Little B's ANC is below 1,000, then no chemo is given (too great of a risk for infection). Last week, Little B's ANC was at 400. This week, it's 600. According to Little B's oncologist, Carboplatin (the other chemo drug he's on) tends to cause delayed ANC reductions. He's not worried, so we're not worried. I am trying to get him to wash Little B's hands more, make sure that we aren't in places where there are lots of kids touching things (i.e., McDonalds play structures), and such. I'm not sure it will help, but it makes me feel better.
Life:
It's amazing to see Little B off chemotherapy. The kid is a stinker. He's also a ton of fun. He particularly enjoys torturing Big A. He's running more, with more energy. He loves, loves, loves his daddy.
Big A is a bit of a mystery for me lately. He loves staying home and playing -- imaginative play. Constantly. There's always bad guys and good guys, but he's not too strict on being a particular side. I've been trying to talk him into outings lately, but he's not particularly interested. He just tells me he'd rather say home and play. Walk to the park? Meh. Not really. He'd rather play. It's really odd. I guess this is what summers are for, though: doing your own thing. Having fun. Reading and playing.
Vacation:
We had a lovely mini-vacation to Depoe Bay, Oregon. We rented a house on the beach -- it was amazing. We spent time on the beach at least twice each day -- Big A loved "challenging" the waves (and ended up losing a good portion of the time!). We also we there during a few days of negative tides. Which was AWESOME! We got to go observe tide pools -- there were tons of star fish, anemone, and little fish. We had recently read the Magic School Bus book on tide pools, and it was awesome to see what we learned in the book for real. We also went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Twice. Also awesome! We became members of the Aquarium, so we will be sure to go back.
We wandered through Depoe Bay one day, which is a charming city. We also spent a few hours at Devil's Lake park, which was much fun. There is an awesome play structure there, as well as a place to fly kites (well, it's just an open space, but good for kite flying all the same).
In all, it was an amazing experience. Some funny moments:
1. I inadvertently acted as Alex's "wingman" at the park. The conversation went like this:
Big A, to me: "Hey Mom, do you remember when we caught that shark?"
Me (confused, thinking he's doing something imaginative): "Yeah, you were really brave."
Big A, to cute blond girl standing just behind me: "Hi, I'm Alex. Want to play chase?"
Cute blond girl: "Sounds cool. Let's play!"
2. So G and Little B were at the beach, and I was at the rental making dinner. I was at the end of a hall when Little B burst in the door, giggling and having fun with G. He ran toward me, giggling, with his arms open, yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" I thought briefly about the past year, and the miracles that we had experienced with him. My heart swelled with maternal pride and love. He ran into my arms, still giggling, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" And then he bit me on the shoulder. Hard. Ah, parenthood.
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