Six of Six, Round 2

Yesterday Tate received the last of the 2nd series of Erwinase injections.  He has one more 6-dose round to complete; I believe it begins next week.  I learned from Greg that the reason this drug is given so frequently is that it does not stay in the body very long, so it has to be administered every other day (more or less) to be effective at fighting Leukemia.

The nurses do everything they can to make cancer treatment as tolerable as possible for the kids.  They had each shot lined up with a Halloween Band-Aid and a Starburst.  Tate appreciated the candy, but it’s still a pretty menacing-looking tray.

Sunday was rough for Tate.  So much so that the nurse practitioner ordered additional blood tests and an ultrasound.  The results of both were good!  There is no explanation for why he feels so bad other than cancer is a terrible thing to have to fight.  They gave Tate a very thorough examination, and anything that can be tested or measured was.  All the results were within range, so we are trying to help alleviate the symptoms with more medications.

Our family pretty much took over the infusion wing of the clinic.  Here are three generations waiting for the ultrasound appointment.  Scott made himself comfortable on the bed – he’s not sick, too!

Last week Tate lost 4.5 pounds and was put back on appetite stimulants.  The terrible irony is that now he is very hungry despite fighting stomach pain and waves of nausea.  The nurse practitioner said to stop the appetite stimulants immediately.  Tate was not permitted to eat before his ultrasound and asked for pizza on the way home.  He ate 6 slices!  I told him I was concerned it would make him feel worse, he said, “Yeah, but my mouth is great, and the stomach and the mouth are two separate things.”  His hunger will wane as the effects of the appetite stimulants wear off, and we will continue to monitor his weight carefully.

It was kind of chilly in Mesa, AZ yesterday, so Dwayne wouldn’t come out of his dogloo for his chemo day treat.  I don’t think he knows it’s a day late.  Tate likes to see pictures of Dwayne living a good life.  Today that means sunshine and dandelion greens.