We got to visit with young Reese and his grandmother one night - the guys compared hair loss and IV combinations, video games and guy stuff while we gals chatted. Reese will go home Friday for 5 days - his first departure from the hospital in over a month. Tom feels very fortunate for the fact that he gets a break at home between his chemo rounds. It's all relative, right? Thomas feels lucky next to Reese. We continue to keep him in our prayers, as they've learned his mom is a bone marrow donor match, and they will soon be going to Winnipeg for an extended period so he can receive a bone marrow transplant.
Seeing Reese reminded us that we might be feeling sorry for ourselves, but there's always someone with bigger challenges. I think of this today especially, as we learn more about the earthquake, tsunami and typhoon victims in Indonesia, the Phillipines and other Pacific islands.
The Red Cross societies in the immediate area are already on the ground helping victims, and the Canadian Red Cross is on standby. I would imagine they will be activated soon, given how wide ranging the impact is. I'm including a link to Canadian Red Cross donations page, in case you feel so moved:
Red Cross - Secure Online Donation Form
As always, we really appreciate visitors during Tom's hospital stay. This round, we got to visit with Uncle Carl and Aunt Nancy, Pastor Brian and Mike's friend Kelly.
I thought maybe some of you who aren't able to come see Thomas might be interested in what happens during chemo...
Early Monday afternoon they hooked up the IV with Doxorubicin, a red coloured chemical that slows down the growth of cancer cells by actually interfering with one's DNA replication. It's an interesting drug - it's light sensitive and the IV bag is covered with an aluminim lined bag to prevent light from getting at it. This med is infused very slowly, and one bag takes 48 hours to administer. Typical side effects: nausea, vomiting, heart problems, hair loss, swelling and pain in hands or feet, and neutropenia (a severe depletion of white blood cells - those are the good guys that fight off infection). Thomas' heart function was measured at the beginning of treatment to establish a baseline, after 3 rounds to monitor, and he'll soon be sent for another ECG and ultrasound of the heart to make sure all is well.
Meanwhile, on day 1 they also pump in Cyclophosphamide, another drug whose main purpose is to interfere with cell growth. Some of the most common side effects include joint pain, tiredness or weakness, mouth sores and bladder problems. They monitor Thomas very closely, and frequently during the course of his chemo round they will administer Lasics, a drug that prompts the bladder to activate and flush out the chemicals. (As you can imagine, this part's not much fun.) To counteract this drug, they also pump in Mesna, a drug whose purpose is to protect the bladder.
Every 24 hours for 3 days, they add in a dose of Dexamethasone through his IV, a powerful steroid that is an anti-inflammatory and helps provide an antidote to the nausea that accompanies the chemotherapy. Of course, like any drug, it has its own side effects as well - for Thomas, this one seems to contribute to muscle weakness and heartburn. (There's another med to counteract that given once a day.)
And then, every 8 hours for 3 days, they add in a dose of a drug called Zofran through the IV. It also works to prevent nausea and vomiting. It's side effects include blurred vision, decreased heart rate, slowed respiratory (breathing) function, to name a few. The nurses come in to take his vitals (heart rate, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels) every 4 hours.
Thankfully, Thomas has a central line (also called a Hickman catheter). It was surgically implanted during our first visit to Calgary. It makes it possible for the chemo drugs to be administered directly into his system, and for the blood samples to be collected, without having to have a needle.
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Last night before Thomas was discharged, he received a transfusion of 2 units of blood. Although he was anxious to go home, this pre-emptive measure no doubt saved us having to go straight back to the hospital this morning - and it's raining cats and dogs today - and allowed him to sleep in.
Thomas came through this round extremely well. He actually had the appetite to eat some food. The nurse came by Monday night with a cart of goodies, and asked him if he'd like a snack. She said, "Would you like a pudding, an ice cream, a popsicle, cheese, crackers, yogurt...?" and Tom said, "Yes."
"Which one?"
"Just leave the cart and you can pick it up later!"
And you know, he scarfed down one of everything! It's funny, but a normal teenage appetite is not something I ever thought I'd be celebrating!
It isn't always like this, so we are really grateful that he tolerated this round so well, and didn't throw up at all.
Starting at 5 PM today, and every 24 hours until typically 10 doses have been administered, we'll give Tom a needle injection. These are the GCSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) or G injections that Thomas hates so much, because they make his entire body achy and sore. However, they help his body's white cells and neutrophils recover from the effects of chemo - I can't imagine where he'd be without them.
We also have some Zofran at home in pill form, to use to prevent post-chemo nausea - we'll see how he feels when he gets up.
When they sent us home with the "G" last night, they happened to include the prescription receipt for the first time. We were stunned to learn that this drug is $2,846.76 for 10 tiny 1.6 ml vials.
The tab for this drug is completely covered by Sask Health. There is NO cost to us. So let me just again say how grateful we are to be Canadian, and that our tax dollars are put to work for such purposes. I know there are things about our system that need fixing - that's a whole other blog post - but overall, we are so very lucky.
Plus, there's never been a tsunami, typhoon or earthquake in Saskatchewan!
Hoping all is well with you,
Thomas' Mom
