Struggle Bus

I think all the chemo got to Tate this week.  Wednesday’s and Friday’s appointments were scheduled to last approximately an hour, but Wednesday’s took three and Friday’s took 5.  I am so grateful that when Tate arrives at the clinic needing more than is planned, it is never a problem to get him the extra treatment.

Monday Tate had an appointment with his oncologist Dr. Williams and received MTX, Vincristine, and Erwinia shots.  The MTX is being administered in increasing doses, and it is known to cause mouth sores and to irritate the stomach lining.  Tate has struggled with severe stomach pain and nausea all week.  He is still being given a 25% dose of the Vincristine so as to treat his cancer but not increase his nephropathy.  The shots are the same:  three at once and very painful.

Monday he received a soft red blanket when we got to the clinic, and it was so comforting to him.  I think we’ll bring it to all his appointments from now on.  I kept wanting to bring a blanket from home, but he was afraid we would forget it, and he isn’t willing to lose any more of his favorite stuff.  Wise kid!  So far he is down his favorite pillow ever and a pair of fuzzy teal socks during hospital stays.

The ride home from chemo is never good.  Tate has his wraparound sunglasses, noise-cancelling headphones, and  pillow to help mute the lights, sounds, and bumps.  Something really great in this pictures is you can see how his fingers are beginning to uncurl, even when he is at rest.

Atticus has been hanging out with Tate a little bit lately.  In case you’re worried about the cat being on Tate’s bed, Atticus has been examined twice in the last few months at The Scottsdale Cat Clinic.  He has gotten a clean bill of health both times and is now a 100% indoor cat to prevent him picking up anything while prowling around outside.  I thought he would miss being outside, but he seems very content sleeping on my pillow (as he knows I am allergic).  We are comfortable with the cat spending some time in Tate’s room, and more than one doctor has said it is okay.

Tate was in pretty rough shape when we got to the clinic Wednesday.  Only shots and the required hour of observation were scheduled, but I asked the nurse if Tate could get some fluids to help him feel a little better.  He seemed extra sensitive to sound, and I could tell he just didn’t feel good.  Sometimes fluids help.  Tate didn’t think he needed it, but at some point I pulled the mom card and decided he did.  The doctor also gave him a steroid, which ended up helping a lot with his headache.

Once we got home Tate felt much better.  He had a good meal, and his friend Dean came over and hung out for a couple hours proving once again that laughter is the best medicine.

Today, Friday, it was Tate’s nurse Michelle that was uncomfortable sending him home without being examined by the oncologist.  She was concerned he would end up in the emergency room over the weekend if they didn’t give him some additional treatment today.  The oncologist agreed and set him up with 1.5 bags of fluid and a dose of IV Hydroxyzine, an anti-nausea medication.

The thing we are learning over and over again with Tate is that he will endure a tremendous amount of discomfort and pain before asking for help.  That boy is so strong and so stubborn!  Both are traits that are helping him fight every day, but we have realized that we need to act sooner than later to ensure he does not get to a point it is hard for him to recover.  Today his nurse Michelle was the one that made sure we stayed ahead of it.

When his blood test results were available, the doctor told us that Tate’s blood sugar has been very low the last several weeks.  He explained that the Erwinia shots can cause changes to a body’s insulin levels, and that dehydration makes it worse.  He estimated Tate was 3% dehydrated (I don’t know how one measures these things, but he’s super smart so I’m going with it.)  The doctor kindly explained that Tate needs to drink as much water as possible because fixing the dehydration will help with the low blood sugar.  He said, “You’re very skinny.  I can see that you’re not holding onto your sugar.”

The doctor Tate saw today was not his regular oncologist.  It was, however, the doctor that treated Tate when he was first diagnosed with Leukemia.  We have a special place in our hearts for this doctor.  I always look forward to seeing him because he looks at things and explains them a little differently, and he thinks vegetables are important.