Round 14 of chemo went as planned. We had an extra week off to recover from the sepsis and to allow Drew's surgical would to heal from where his port was removed.
This round didn't require anesthesia for anything and we were able to see his doctor out at his office close to the house for his exam the day before, so we were able to do a direct admit without having to go through clinic first.
Normally the first day of chemo is an all day affair, having to be there early for clinic and labs and then waiting around until a bed is ready on the inpatient side. This way we had labs done at home on Monday, had his appointment for his physical on Tuesday and then Wednesday just waited for them to call us and let us know his bed was ready and then we headed down.
Drew wanted everyone to come with that day. Randy decided to go to work, so instead my mom decided to come and we brought Brooke and Dallin with. Drew wanted Kelsey to come too, but we thought she would just be happier at home with the sitter. Now that she's walking, it's hard to contain her!
He was happy as could be to have the whole group with us, which made for a fun trip down, but it still didn't make a difference when it was actually time to start chemo. He threw a fit! Did not want to get hooked up! He screamed and cried and hit and kicked and scratched until he puked. He is just so done with this whole routine.
Drew & Dallin in the playroom.
Drew with one of his Child Life specialists, Heidi. She always knows where the best toys are hidden!
Saying goodbye to a couple of his nurses. We were hoping that this might be our last inpatient stay here at the old hospital before the move.
Glad to be home altogether and in our own beds!
Back for blood and platelets. He took a 2.5 hour nap, so I was able to put together his new lego jeep and tank. Every piece was the same brownish green color and I had to manage in the dark!
Well we weren't lucky enough to bypass the fever this round and when his counts bottomed out he spiked a fever which landed us in the emergency room.
Still being silly, fever and all.
Not feeling so silly anymore.
After starting antibiotics again, his blood pressure started to drop which then landed us back in the PICU, back on meds to support his blood pressure.
Luckily this time, the fever was short lived and no source of infection was found and he was able to be weaned off of the BP meds fairly quickly.
Back to being silly, making a gun out of the straw in his apple juice.
Out of the PICU and back up on his regular floor, the oncologist ordered an echocardiogram to take a look at his heart. Drew gets echos every 6 weeks at this point to monitor his heart and watch for any changes, as one of his chemo meds can have an affect on the heart. This echo showed some changes in his left ventricular function. It is still in the normal range, but low normal which is down from last time. Cardiology came for a consult and said it could be one of two things. It could certainly be changes from chemo, but it could also be changes from still recovering for such a major bout of sepsis a month ago. They want to recheck in 4 weeks and see how things look.
Drew & one of his favorite nurses, Brian, being silly.
Drew loves when Brian in working b/c Brian is good at playing guns in the halls!
Ready to go home! We got out just days before the entire hospital was moved across the city to the new building.
Drew & his neuro-oncologist Dr. Stewart Goldman
We stopped by clinic on our way out for some bean bag toss in the hall with Dr. Stew.
Saying goodbye to 4 West.
Yesterday Children's Memorial Hospital closed its doors forever. We will miss the old hospital and so many memories that we made there. It will live in our hearts forever and surely never be forgotten.
Next up, Round 15 at the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. We knew the new hospital was being built when we started this journey almost exactly a year ago. In the beginning, I was nervous about the move and having to start all over with getting to know the new hospital. I was nervous about having to put Drew through all of the changes, when he had become so comfortable with our routine and how things were done. However, now that the time has come, we don't think it could be happening at a better time. With Drew being so burnt out with everything, we are excited for the change! The new hospital will bring a whole new light to this journey and new experiences that we hope will contain enough excitement to carry us through these last 3 rounds.
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