Hey guys,
I have been busy answering PM's the past few nights and have neglected to get an update posted. Today marks the end of our 4th week here. It's crazy how a month can just disappear. Anyway, on to the update.
To begin with, the MRI that Jerek had on Monday showed that the blood clots were getting smaller and the inflammation area was not as bad. They still do not know exactly what caused the seizure, and may never find out. They have decided to keep him on anti-seizure medication as well as blood thinners for at least 3 months. They are planning to do another MRI in a month or so to check the progress again.
He did get his final chemo treatment on Wednesday and finished his last dose of steroids on Tuesday. They got rid of the finger sticks today since his sugar levels are back to normal now that the steroids are over. Aside from being extremely tired, he is doing well. He is still eating fairly well and we walk every day. The past 2 days we walked 7 laps (just over a mile). Tomorrow’s goal is 8 laps.
He is scheduled to have another lumbar puncture on Monday. The doctors have assured him it will be a smoother process this time and that they will use a smaller needle to hopefully prevent the spinal headache from occurring this time. He told them if he did get the headache again, they were doing the blood patch the next day instead of making him wait a week. After that, it is just a matter of waiting for his blood counts to come back up. Once his neutrophils are above 1,000 they will do another bone marrow biopsy to assess the progress this first cycle has made. Right now, his neutrophils stay in the 400-600 range.
We will also be able to go home when his counts are “high enough”. I’m just not sure what “high enough” is. When they are able to do the biopsy and get those results back, they will determine his treatment plan for the next cycle. Please pray that everything goes well with his lumbar puncture on Monday. Also pray that his counts will begin to rise so we can go home. We want him healthy, first and foremost, but we are also ready to be back home with our babies.
I have been busy answering PM's the past few nights and have neglected to get an update posted. Today marks the end of our 4th week here. It's crazy how a month can just disappear. Anyway, on to the update.
To begin with, the MRI that Jerek had on Monday showed that the blood clots were getting smaller and the inflammation area was not as bad. They still do not know exactly what caused the seizure, and may never find out. They have decided to keep him on anti-seizure medication as well as blood thinners for at least 3 months. They are planning to do another MRI in a month or so to check the progress again.
He did get his final chemo treatment on Wednesday and finished his last dose of steroids on Tuesday. They got rid of the finger sticks today since his sugar levels are back to normal now that the steroids are over. Aside from being extremely tired, he is doing well. He is still eating fairly well and we walk every day. The past 2 days we walked 7 laps (just over a mile). Tomorrow’s goal is 8 laps.
He is scheduled to have another lumbar puncture on Monday. The doctors have assured him it will be a smoother process this time and that they will use a smaller needle to hopefully prevent the spinal headache from occurring this time. He told them if he did get the headache again, they were doing the blood patch the next day instead of making him wait a week. After that, it is just a matter of waiting for his blood counts to come back up. Once his neutrophils are above 1,000 they will do another bone marrow biopsy to assess the progress this first cycle has made. Right now, his neutrophils stay in the 400-600 range.
We will also be able to go home when his counts are “high enough”. I’m just not sure what “high enough” is. When they are able to do the biopsy and get those results back, they will determine his treatment plan for the next cycle. Please pray that everything goes well with his lumbar puncture on Monday. Also pray that his counts will begin to rise so we can go home. We want him healthy, first and foremost, but we are also ready to be back home with our babies.
