Luck of the Irish

Steven's counts came back great yesterday and the ICS unit was full which means he is able to start his next round of chemo today, but we had to wait for discharges before we could get a room. Which means he got to go to school again this morning. This was exactly what I was praying for. We are settled into the room and he's getting iv fluids to prepare him for round two of chemo. This drug is called methotrexate. It will be a 4 hour infusion and then he is given iv fluids withsodium bicarbonate that helps reduce the acidity and helps his body flush it out. We will be able to go home as soon as it is all the way gone from his system. The average stay is between 2 and 5 days. This drug will make him nauseated while it is in his system but shouldn't produce the same kind of delayed nausea we saw with the last drugs. It shouldn't bring his counts so low either. The side effect it has is the one I fear the most--mouth sores. There is certainly a range of reactions, he may be just fine. The sores usually start showing up in 5 to 10 days after he starts. We will get a feeling for how he reacts then. In the meantime, we are watching CNN and March Madness and waiting. Also, hoping that luck is with us and that the tumor fears this drug as much as I do.