The Train to Crazy

WHOOO WHOOOOOOOOO!!!

All aboard the CRAZY TRAIN

Today was Moving Day for the Monkey House.

Eric was on duty here at the hospital so Amanda and I, along with some wonderful family members, helped move our items into our temporary apartment.

After dropping everything off, Amanda and I came up for a visit.  Logan is feeling good today so the kids enjoyed some play in the hallways.

So this is how we entertain ourselves while being CRAZY bored in the hospital.

 And since Logan's blood counts are still high, we are allowed to wonder the grounds of the hospital between treatments.

 We found this lovely little garden...

... and a fun interactive exhibit.

Then we went out to the playground!

(if it's not dangerous, it's not fun!)

We finished off our crazy afternoon with a GIANT popsicle from the cafeteria.

Day 3

While Logan has not vomited yet, he is not feeling well.  His tummy hurts, his body aches, he doesn't want to eat and only wants to sleep.  Only two more days of chemo then we can work on feeling better.

Fun and Games

Logan and I are passing the time by opening get well cards and gift packages.  Some friends sent some paddle fans that we put to good use...

1 of 20

Day 1 of 20 for Logan's second round of chemo therapy.

Two Thumbs Up!

The results are in from last Friday's bone marrow biopsy.  His first round of chemo has done it's job and no leukemic cancer cells were found.  He will still have one more round of chemo while he waits for the bone marrow transplant team to get everything lined up, but we give this news two thumbs up!

We are headed back to the hospital tomorrow for round two to begin.  This will be the same therapy regimen as the first round so we expect him to be in the hospital for 18 to 20 days.

Another First Day of School

Logan is doing much better.  His kidneys are continuing to improve and he is eating and drinking again.  This week we are working on fattening him back up and enjoying some normalcy... like going to 4th grade.

Monday was HIS first day of school.

He was very excited, a little nervous, but ready to meet his new classmates.

We picked him up at 2:00 for a visit to the doctor.  Before he even got in the car, he was asking us to stop for a second lunch.  Our boy has become an eating machine and it's odd that this makes me so happy, but our priorities have shifted over the past few weeks.

His checkup went well.  He has gained 2 pounds since being dismissed from the hospital on Saturday.  His kidneys are continuing to improve and his blood counts look great.  He is scheduled for a bone marrow biopsy on Friday to give his kidneys a little more recovery time.

In the mean time, I am heading to Wichita to get the house ready to sell and Eric will stay here with the kids.  We hope to have an apartment soon to offer our children some stability during this transition.  We have been staying with family, and while we are very thankful for their generosity in opening their doors to us, I think it is time for us to surround ourselves with the comforts of home.

This week should be uneventful for us so no news is good news while we labor and learn.

Homeward Bound

If Logan will start eating and drinking for us today, he can go home this afternoon!

His kidney function is continuing to improve, however they expect it to be another week before it is back to normal.  They are comfortable allowing us to recover at home and come back every couple days for lab work.  

Still no word on why his kidneys stopped working, but we'll know from now on to keep and eye on things. No permanent kidney damage is expected.

Good, Better, Best

We have waited most of the day to talk to the doctors but it has been worth the wait.

The Good News:  Logan is feeling better and his kidneys are starting to work.  The levels of antibiotic that have built up in his system are starting to drop.  He has not vomited AT ALL today even though his tummy still doesn't feel good.  He has eaten some food for us!

Better News:  While we will definitely be in the hospital over the weekend, the doctors expect him to be recovered enough for a bone marrow biopsy on Monday or Tuesday.  The biopsy will tell us if he is in remission and we will have a better road map for his treatment.

Best News:  A live donor has been found!!!  Logan's best chance for long-term survival is a 10 out of 10 live donor match.  With his rare genome we were not hopeful that would happen, but it looks like our one in 10 million baby has a perfect match out there.  This person has been contacted and is willing to donate his life saving bone marrow to my baby boy.  There are a few more hoops to jump through to ensure this person is healthy enough to donate, but I know two worried parents that will sleep easier tonight.



Logan also received a "pick me up" visit from his grandparents today.  They brought him a new Nerf shotgun.  Do they know this kid or what?

He is enjoying shooting the birds out the window.  The targets just hit the glass, of course, but it scares the birds away and he thinks that is a hoot.

Bad Kidneys

The doctors are still unsure of why, but Logan's kidneys are not functioning properly.    

He is better today, but still puny.

First Day of School for One Child

Today was Amanda's first day of school.

Very stylish, Baby

Logan would have joined her, but he is feeling poorly today.  Logan and I are back at the hospital getting checked out.  Hopefully this is just a day trip for us.

Tuesday Check Up

This morning Logan had a check up and his blood work looked good so he is scheduled for a bone marrow biospy on Friday.  If he's in remission we will start talking about the bone marrow transplant.  He is still not feeling real whoopee, but he has been enjoying hanging with his cousins.

We also spent the last few days getting both Logan and Amanda ready for a new school year in a new school.  Monday was meet the teacher night and both kids really liked their first impression of their new teachers.  Tomorrow is their first day of school and they are both excited... too excited to go to sleep even.  This is one tired momma since Eric is in Wichita this week interviewing realtors, preping the house for sale, and getting some business done.

See you later, alligator!

We will be leaving the hospital today!  So, if you are planning a trip to see the little man, then call to get our GPS coordinates.  We are going to be a bit nomadic for a while.  Logan misses his dogs and I am sure they will be excited to see him as well (as for the cat... well, two out of three isn't bad), so we will be visiting them very soon.

Passing the Time

We're still here waiting for bacteria to grow... or not grow.  Logan's counts are good enough for us to go home otherwise.  Hopefully tomorrow we'll hear the sweet word "dismissal."  

Dirty Rotten Bacteria

One of Logan's blood cultures grew out a bacteria so we are stuck here for at least another 48 hours while they grow out two more cultures to determine that the antibiotic he is on has wiped out that dirty rotten bacteria.  This makes this momma come close to tears as his blood counts this morning were great and I expected us to get sprung from the joint. *sigh*

On a happier note, Logan was delivered a backpack full to bursting from the Bag of Fun organization this morning.  They called Eric last week to get an idea of the things Logan is interested in and BOY O' BOY they delivered!  He got a remote controlled car that lights up, Nerf guns, Lego airplanes, model airplanes, DVDs and player, MU drinking bottle, r/c helicopter, paper airplane book, Laser Pegs, and more all in a super awesome backpack.  

Best neutropenic fever ever?

Logan is feeling better today and he only spiked a fever for a short time last night. So fingers crossed, knock-on-wood he seems to be on the mend. We are now anxiously waiting for his white counts to recover. Since he was at 0.0 APC early this morning, there is only one way to go. So, while Mom and I were disappointed to make 7 out of 7 for chemotherapy induced neutropenic fevers, we are very glad that it has been brief and we are doing whatever we can to keep it that way.

Hold Our Horses

Logan now has neutropenic fever. : (  They are growing out blood cultures to double check that it's not a bacterial infection causing the fever and giving him antibiotics as a precaution.  If history repeats itself we will be here through this coming week.  The fever is making him feel BLAH, but he is still drinking well and eating modestly.

Another New Shirt

"Cancer may have started the fight BUT I WILL FINISH IT!"

Erector Set Fun

Blood work from this morning is in.  He bone marrow is starting to make it's own blood so he is on the mend, but he's not well enough to be released yet.  Hemoglobin 10.4, Platelet 1600, APC 10 (the APC needs to be above 200 for us to leave, but it could jump overnight).  So it looks like another boring day in the hospital.  Eric is guessing Tuesday will be our lucky day.  Only time will tell.

Music, Crafts, Visitors, and Waiting

Another blissfully boring day in the hospital.  I'm liking these boring days.  While it's a challenge to keep this active boy entertained, it also means he's not sick, getting medicine, meeting with doctors, or having some other scary procedure done.  I'll take a good 'ol boring day over those "exciting" days any time.

Crafts, games, visitors, and many laps around the halls fill our day as we anxiously await Logan's blood count recovery.  The waiting without knowing the end is the hardest.  We could be here another few days, week, or more.  He is now getting daily blood counts so we won't miss the magic number that springs the lock on our hospital door.  Keeping our fingers crossed that tomorrow's blood work will be better than today (and so on an so forth).


Here are a few snapshots from today:

Amanda and Logan having some fun with colored packing peanuts.

And Music Therapy with friends... I was messing with him to get a "real" smile out of him.

(He also tried on his new "I am stronger than cancer" shirt that came in the mail yesterday!)

Our family is doing a wonderful job of spacing their visits out so that we have at least one visitor every day.  It helps cheer up Logan and gives Eric and I a much needed break from our worries.

Thank you, Everyone!

Funny Video from Music Therapy