On the lighter side of things...

I know the last post was somewhat depressing, so I decided to follow it up with a post about good things!

We are in Day 2 of our 3-Day Round 7 of chemo. Case must have known that Mommy needed a break because this has been our best hospital stay! He has been so happy, so content, and will actually play on his own for a bit! He is still flirting with all of the nurses here, staying true to nature.

He slept so solidly through the night last night (even through nurses taking his vitals) that he woke up in a lake of pee-pee this morning! I mean his head was wet and he kept sleeping. What a champ!

On another lighter note, he has made so much progress in his development. We have a physical therapist coming to the house once every 3 weeks and she was so happy with his new tricks! He crawls like a champ, cruises around furniture, pulls up, sits downs, and runs all over the place, but he still has to hold on to one of Mommy's finger. He could totally walk independently, but he is opting for the comfort of Mommy's finger, which is understandable.

He nods "yes" or "no" in answers to what he wants to eat. He can wave bye-bye. He says "ma-ma" and is now babbling all the time! He walks us to the fridge when he wants yogurt, which he eats ALL the time. He loves clapping and high-fiving. Gives lots of open-mouthed kisses! So he is making fast progress and is catching up quickly! And might I remind you that is all while undergoing chemo!

This kid is a champ!! We love him!

And he's teething 4 molars at the same time...not fair!

Effects of Round 6

Now that we are safely past the two weeks that followed Round 6, I feel like I can finally make a post. It was the worst one yet. "Worst" not as in throwing up everywhere, but "worst" as in we had the GRUMPIEST, ANGRIEST baby alive.

It made life so difficult because he was just so angry. It would have been easier if he just got lethargic and sad and wanted to cuddle and watch TV all day. But he gets so angry! I think it's because he feels so awful and can't understand why. He still wants to do things like walk around (holding on to our hands of course), play outside, etc, but he feels rotten when he starts to do it. So every minute he starts a new activity, which is followed by back-arching, yelling, collapsing on the floor, and screaming because he feels horrible.

So...it is REALLY hard because there is nothing we can do to comfort him. Yesterday I then realized how incredibly selfish we are as parents because we are thinking about how hard it is for us to deal with him. Because he can't talk, it's so easy for us to forget how terrible he feels and just to focus on how grumpy he is. So then we feel really bad. It's a vicious cycle. Can't wait for this to be over.

Another thing that made Round 6 especially hard was the fact that he was neutropenic for two weeks. Usually his white blood cells are non-existent for about 5 days, then his counts recover and we can carefully venture outside or at least go visit Grandma...just something to do to get out of the house. But his white blood cells were almost at zero for TWO weeks.

We knew it would be like this as we neared the end because his poor little body is being rocked by chemo. The more he gets hit, the harder he falls. So I'm scared for the next few weeks!

So having said that, here we are at Round 7. We are sitting in the hospital getting an infusion of Carboplatin (a yucky drug) right now. This is our last 3-day round. In three weeks we will have our final round of chemo, which will be a 1-day infusion. I am finally feeling like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

The first week of April we will repeat a CT Scan, MRI, and the MIBG Scan (which is a nuclear scan of the soft-tissue and will light up all cancer cells in his body). About two weeks later he will go in for surgery to remove whatever is left. One week after that he will have one more CT Scan just to make sure everything looks good. Then after that we go to monthly urine analysis and scans. So we are anticipating a mid-April surgery date. Hopefully after that we can be on our way to recovery and a "normal" life!

Last Call for Race for Case Shirts

If you want a Race for Case shirt, I need you order tonight (or by 9:00 am tomorrow morning!).

This is separate from the Leaping Leprechauns race registration where you get a Leaping Leprechauns shirt.

Thanks!

New & Improved Race for Case

Things have been changing and evolving each day, so here is a new, updated info page for our growing Race For Case!

What: Race for Case 1K, 5K, and 15K that means (0.62 miles, 3.1 miles, or 9.32 miles...take your pick!) through Leaping Leprechauns Run organized by Stonebridge Racers. You can walk or run. PART OF THE PROCEEDS FROM RACE REGISTRATION WILL GO TO RACE FOR CASE!

When: Saturday, March 10th starting at 8:00 am

Where: McKinney, Texas @ Stonebridge Beach Club, 6203 Virginia Pkwy, McKinney, TX 75070

How Much: Race Registration through Stonebridge Racers. Register online and use the coupon code FRIENDS2012 to receive your discount:
1K: $12.75
5k: $21.25
15k: $25.50

Race for Case Shirt:
Cotton T-Shirt (XS-XXL) $9
Dri-Fit Athletic Shirt (Men's S-XXL and Women's S-XXL) $12
Youth Cotton T-Shirt (S-XXL) $9
Toddler Cotton T-Shirt (2T, 3T, 4T) $12

**You cannot get this shirt simply by registering for the Leaping Leprechauns Race. You must email us separately**

Email race.for.case@gmail.com with the following info:

Name:
Type of Shirt: Dri-Fit or Cotton
Size:
Contact Email or Phone:


If you would like to mail a check, use the address below:
Race for Case
P.O. Box 114
3948 Legacy Drive #106
Plano, TX 75023

Deadline: You must order your Race for Case shirt by this Sunday, Feb 12th.

What You Will Give: Monetary donation to Neuroblastoma Cancer research through Wipe Out Kid's Cancer (WOKC). Love and support to our sweet baby Case.


p.s. I am deleting the older posts to eliminate any confusion!

Cuteness!

Had to share this adorable picture of Case with his new "trick" - riding on the IV pole. He thinks it's hilarious! This was from Round 6 of chemotherapy yesterday. We are home and so far doing well! The real sickness kicks in 2 to 3 days after chemo, so I might be singing a different tune tomorrow!