Monitoring, supplements, and Buddy!
Sam is nearing the end of round 3 which will mark the half-way through this treatment regime. Generally, it has been slow and quiet week with trips back and forth to the clinic but there has been much anticipation in our minds for the arrival of my parents and Sam’s dog Buddy this past Friday.
For each of the clinic visits Sam’s energy was low, walking down the hall took significant effort, so we transported back and forth him by wheel chair. Thursday afternoon we were in to check levels to prepare for Friday’s LP1. Friday was a long day in the clinic: Platelets first, then the LP, and Hemoglobin provided in the afternoon.
With the completion of clinic procedures and a couple units of new blood Sam was ready to go. We packed up and made our way to Ft. Langley for a great reunion! Sam has been having great visits with my parents and Buddy these last couple days. So good for him, for all of us, to experience some normal life!
Concerns and victories
Thankful that we can easily access to care here and the amazing medical team.
We are thankful for the successful completion of round three’s drug delivery phase! So far the side effects have been minimal. Sam is nearing the end of round 3.
We hope that there will not be a need for the contingency plan (bone marrow transplant), yet we need to prepare ourselves for it, and all the additional time may bring with it.
There is always concern that the cancer remains. We long for the day when Sam is clear of this disease.
Footnotes
LP: Lumbar puncture, to monitor if cancer has crossed into the central nervous system and to provide chemo drugs into the spinal column as a preventative.↩︎