We made it to the hospital and are doing fine. The chemo started around 5:30, which is good. It looks like Easter at home is a real possibility. The nurse practitioner considered starting with a blood tranfusion but that would have slowed us down quite a bit, so we decided that since he doesn't feel too sick, they will do the transfusion in a day or two, when his methotrexate levels are low. They will closely monitor his ph levels and give him sodium bicarbonate as a pill during the transfusion if they need to. That may not make sense to anyone, but there you have it. Oh, and the nurses were shocked that Steven hasn't had a transfusion yet and he is in week 9 of chemo. What does that mean? I'd like to take it as a little miracle, but my worrying self wonders if the chemo isn't killing the red blood cells enough, is it killing the cancer? The only answer they will give is that we have to wait for the biopsy.
In other news, we have been on a quest to help Steven gain weight so that the surgery recovery will be better. We try to get him any kind of food he can dream up. Mostly he wants homemade hamburgers (a result of the anemia?). Andrew said to me the other day--"when can we have something to eat besides chicken and hamburgers? We always have what Steven wants and I never get pasta!" We do eat too many hamburgers. He had one for lunch and dinner today and he has probably had 7 others this week. The diet seems to be working-he had gained some weight. I know it is working for me because I finish up the high calories shakes I make.
Week nine, is it really week nine? I told my step-mom today it was week 6. Hurray for week nine! If it is prayer quantity that counts, Steven should be good and covered. He has people praying for him that he has never met...The bicarbonate pill will lower his pH, so something about the transfusion could raise his pH (make him more acidic than he should be.) You can tell him it is the same reaction as when you mix vinegar and baking soda in a volcano. Volcanic Steven! Because it is Steven, we probably should get him a periodic table and start teaching him to balance these chemical reactions himself.
ReplyDeleteI don't totally understand it, but they keep the ph of his urine around 7 I believe. I guess that helps his body clear the methotrexate. During a transfusion, they don't give them the iv sodium bicarbonate and the new blood can also make the urine slightly acidic, so they watch it carefully and can give him a pill if they need. I don't know if I've got this straight. If only I were a chemist like you!
ReplyDeleteSonja, My kids have had problems gaining weight at times. I thought of a funny story...my son was really struggling so for lunches, I would make peanut butter sandwhiches but first with a layer of real butter then the peanut butter and finish with a nice spread of nutella. After a week of this, I got a call from a mom of a boy at school who had been buying my son's sandwhich off him because it was so good! He went home and asked him mom to make the same kind so she was calling for my 'recipe'. Anyways, PB is a good way to get the protein too. The company Scandipharm makes a product that you sprinkle on any food and it adds lots of calories. Their high calorie shake mix is really good, way better than most store bought protein shakes- no metallic taste. Hoping for good things this week for you and your family!
ReplyDeleteNow I really want a homemade hamburger.
ReplyDeleteHope you guys make it home for Easter!
I sure hope you guys get to be at home for Easter! We're thinking of ya.
ReplyDeleteYeah for hamburgers! You do whatever you have to to get Steven eating. Go somewhere like Chilis or applebees sometime, they are one of those that serve hamburgers and pasta.....which is weird but seems perfect for the family
ReplyDeleteWe made pasta last night for Andrew, he seemed pretty excited.
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