Sunday, 28 June 2009
Bacon and eggs for breaky today. Drew ditched watching Kyle's soccer today (they didn't win, but Kyle kept a clean sheet for his half of the game) and preferred to stay home and play 'Formula 1' with Kurt. Drew is definitely enjoying being at home and being reasonably 'normal'.
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Out early for soccer to watch Dane win 5 -1. Kurt wasn't quite so lucky, but Dad's team managed a win as well. Afternoon spent with Dane playing the playstation and just enjoying being at home.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Two days in a row at home, plenty of schoolwork, catching up, cuddles and no dressing changes - whew!
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Nice quiet day at home, except for Drew's dressing over his central line coming off. Luckily, I had been given a sterile pack and a few dressings in case this happened, but what a nerve wracking job. The nurses make it look relatively easy, but sterilising the area and then the central line, positioning it and putting the dressing on and accidentally hurting Drew in the process, had me a nervous wreck. I put extra tape all around the outside to make sure it wasn't coming off in a hurry again. Other than that it was a pretty uneventful day.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Back to John Hunter today. Drew had an appointment with Jodie to discuss any worries he may have, it was then an appointment with Dr Janis, who is extremely impressed with how well Drew is looking after his last treatment of chemotherapy. The last treatment was very strong and Drew was expected to take a month to recover, but he is going great guns, his platelets and haemoglobin are good and he has 1.2 neutriphils. After seeing Dr Janis it was off for a lung function test. This required Drew to inhale oxygen, which has a slight trace of radioactive material in it, through a tube with a peg on his nose, whilst lying flat on a bed through a machine which looks like a donut. The challenge was then lying still and quietly on the bed through the machine for another 35 minutes, whilst it recorded how it dispelled from his lungs.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
A rare day today, we got to stay home - all day! Drew did school work and I caught up on all the things that get behind when we're away from home. Drew had a surprise present from his 'Drew's Dollar Day' a V8 match box racing car, a Kelly's racing flag and a t-shirt - thank you to Kelly Racing.
Monday, 22 June 2009
Good news all round today. Dr Janis gave Drew the all clear to go home, he just needed to have a heart scan done, (I tell you I think we must be John Hunter's best customer) as the bug he tested positive for can go to the heart. In between times I went to school to watch big brother Kurt in his Multicultural Zone public speaking competition - which he won. Arriving back at hospital around 4.30pm, Drew had just gone for his heart scan, which showed all was good, so home we came, just in time for dinner.
Sunday 21st June 2009
I played with my Jaguar F1 car,got three out of four footy picks and one of my favourite Doctors, Kristin, came to visit and I had my photo taken with her.Kristin is Norwegian and when she gets married next year in Norway, moose will be on the menu. My Mum and brothers came up today and we had lasagne and chocolate cake and fresh cream for dinner.
Saturday 20, June 2009
Today I woke up happy and ready to start.I had my breakfast and got ready for my day ahead.I played with my Jaguar Formula one car and watched V8 racing with my Dad.I built stuff with my Dad.
Friday, 19 June 2009
After having a blood transfusion last night, Drew's temperature was on the rise and stayed that way all night, he had a very restless night's sleep. A few more spots appeared, but still don't really look like chickenpox. Drew was very subdued this morning, but by 10.30am he bounced back to his usual happy self. It was good bye to one of the Starlight Captains today, we wish her all the best for the future. Special visitors arrived this afternoon Vannessa, Spud, Ali and Todd, plus his Daddy and brothers arrival brightened up Drew's afternoon.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Drew wasn't feeling very flash this morning and was shivering uncontrollably - his temperature peaked at 40.1. He also has an unusual mark on his tummy, so that was scraped and tested to see if it was chicken pox, so far the test has come back negative and he hasn't got any more suspicious spots, so hopefully it was a false alarm. His chest x-ray was also clear and it didn't seem to bother him much today. Drew's results on his bloods came back and he has a strep infection so he will probably be in hospital for at least 7 days.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Drew's temperature had risen over 39C through the night and he tossed and turned. When I got there in the afternoon he was all wrapped up in his quilt. He was complaining of a pain in his chest, so off he went for a chest x-ray, with a mask on his face so he didn't catch anything from anyone else. He needed platelets later in the night and codeine for his chest pain. His temperature was up and down as well.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Drew woke up fine, but I kept an eye on his temperature all day. At 6.30pm it finally went over 38 and was 38.7, he wasn't happy about going to hospital, but his brothers managed to cheer him up and he wasn't to bad when he left with Daddy who was going to spend the night with him. When he got to hospital his temperature was 37.3, so he thought he might come home - wrong!
Monday, 15 June 2009
Off to hospital today, with Kurt in tow, literally, for Drew's blood count, his platelets were 3, his haemoglobin 69 and his neutriphils 0, so a blood and platelet transfusion were needed. Kurt and Drew passed the time playing chess and checkers and watching Spongebob Squarepants, as you do. With Drew's neutriphils at 0, it will be only a matter of time before he is back in hospital.
Sunday, 14 June 2009 - Drew's Dollar Day
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Soccer Saturday - we had four games today - for 3 losses and 1 win (6-1), big brother Kyle was on the winners list. Drew tired himself out at soccer having running races with Dane. For a boy who has just had 5 days of intensive heavy duty chemo - he is truly amazing. Although tonight we had to go back to hospital to have his dressing changed, as he has been soaking it in the shower (its not supposed to get wet) and the tape had all started to come off. Whilst we were there I had Kurt's toe checked to see if he had broken it this morning when he fell over - he hadn't just badly bruised and swollen and lastly Kyle has problems with his rear end (I'm sure he'll love me including that) and he got seen as well - the results are still out on him. It never rains but it pours!!!
Friday, 12 June 2009
All day spent at home. Drew broke his record on Mathetics (an online maths program) so he was quite proud of himself. He cooked dinner for the family tonight, home made pizzas, just for something different - they were very good. Now that Australia has made the World Cup and Kaka has moved from AC Milan to Real Madrid, Drew has decided his wish is to go to the World Cup and see them play. Fingers crossed his treatment will be finished by then and he will be healthy enough to go - he is counting down the days till it starts.
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Off to the hospital today to have Drew's blood levels checked - they are still good and Dr Frank was happy with him. He told Frank he has to stay out of hospital till at least Sunday, because he wants a sausage sandwich with cooked onions, at Drew's Dollar Day. We had home made pizzas again for lunch, Drew has really got the cooking bug and doesn't know whether he wants to be a chef, a nurse, a formula 1 driver or a Socceroo, he has certainly covered all bases. His appetite has been good so far and he is in high spirits.
Wednesday 10 June 2009
Today didn't start without incident. Drew wasn't keen (at all) about me doing the injection into the plastic cannula which was already in his leg. I had a melt down and went and had a shower to get ready to take him to the hospital to have it done. To Drew's credit, by the time I came downstairs he was prepared to let me do it. The injection was done in a matter of minutes and the cannula removed (he had to psych himself up over a cuppa before I could do that.) and we got on with our day. Drew hasn't had any nausea which is great and he is very happy that tonight he will say good bye to the eye drops. We cooked homemade pizza for lunch and settled down to watch the Socceroos beat Bahrain and cement themselves at the top of the group for the World Cup qualifiers.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Well we didn't get out of the hospital without incident. Tomorrow I have to give a subcutaneous injection (just under the skin), last time a friend who is a nurse gave it to Drew for us, and Peter and I had to hold him down. This time I asked the nurses to put an inshurflon (which is a little plastic cannula, in Drew's leg so I could just insert the needle into that, and hoped that would solve the problem - wrong. The nurse innocently mentioned it was a needle and again no talking or coercing could convince him to do it, although he did try on a number of occasions but just couldn't bring himself to do it. After 90 minutes Dr Frank came in to do his rounds and by the time he left Drew had the inshurflon in his leg and we were finally on our way home. He was as happy as larry once he was home and couldn't wait to open his parcel he'd ordered the previous week which was waiting for him, his Titans gear.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Drew was starting to get sick of hospital today and just wanted to go home. As his chemo wasn't finishing until 10.15pm, we won't be going home until tomorrow morning. No more dramas with the eye drops, which is good for all concerned.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Drew had Daddy sleep with him overnight and this morning had a visit from Jessie, a Cavalier King Charles, who was allowed up on the bed. Drew was very excited about that. Eye drops and chemotherapy have been going well.
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Today started OK, but we had a drama with the eyedrops. At the lunch time dose the nurse was concerned that the eye drops weren't getting in properly and wanted Drew to open his eye a bit more - well he wasn't having a bar of it and no reasoning, cajoling, showing eye pictures of chemotherapy conjunctivitis did any good. Worse was now he wouldn't let us put the other eye drop in at all, so it was a screaming hold down job for the next two doses. That night he calmed down and let the nurse put them in without too much drama. No nausea or vomiting which is good, but he is feeling very tired.
Friday, 5 June 2009
Drew has coped well with the eye drops so far and as his chemo doesn't start until this afternoon and his counts are ok, he actually went to the school room for a few hours, another first!!! The drugs Drew is having this time are fludarabine (chemotherapy), doxaroxane (protects his heart), idarubacine (chemotherapy, can affect heart) and lastly cytarabine, which runs four hours after the first drug starts and runs over four hours. I asked to have all his sickness medication charted before he began the chemotherapy this time and he has been well dosed up and had no nausea which is good. He has only been sick once, and that was because one of the anti-nausea drugs, if administered too quickly makes you vomit instantly, which is a bit bizarre, but he was fine after that.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Back to hospital today. Drew has been in really high spirits and didn't seem to mind going back to hospital today, I on the other hand feel like I'm leading the lamb to the slaughter, knowing that he needs the chemotherapy, but hating that it is going to make him sick. Drew had the dressing changed by Nurse Leonie, who was very gentle, there was a little bit of discomfort because it is still tender from the surgery and it needed to be thoroughly cleaned, it wasn't too bad and should be easier each dressing change from now. Drew was allowed in the Starlight Room for the very first time, while we waited for his blood results and he was so excited, unfortunately once the chemo starts and his count starts to fall, it will be the last time for a while. Chemo started at 2.15pm which means it won't finish to 10.15pm each day. Later on today Drew broke down about his treatment and the worry about getting better and then getting sick again and of course dying - the poor little bugger has so much to contend with.
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
We went up to school today, to see Kurt in the school's public speaking competition. Drew sat in a room off the office, just to guard against him catching anything. Kurt won Year 6 and will go on to the zone competition later in the month, he was the only boy to win, so we were extra proud of him. Drew's friend Avalon also won Year 4, which made him happy, and all the kids spoke really well. Drew 'worked his butt' off again and is ploughing through his books. He makes time to tell me his worries before he goes to sleep, and tonight he told me he worries about his treatment, about getting better and then getting sick again and of dying, our talks must ease his mind, as it doesn't take long for him to dose off to sleep, I wish I was the same.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Drew has been working his butt off doing school work today, according to him. He is pretty good and its not too hard to get him to do maths and spelling, writing is another matter and if he can avoid it he will - but he is going really well. He is back to full mobility, but I can't wait to get those dressings changed.
Monday, 1 June 2009
Drew was very mobile today, but is not happy with the dressing on his line, it has dried blood underneath it, which doesn't look particularly attractive. Unfortunately our trip to Sydney tomorrow to meet the Doctors regarding Drew's bone marrow transplant had to be postponed due to the chicken pox we had in the house two weeks ago, the Doctor didn't ring us back so we don't know when this will now happen. Drew told me tonight he is scared of his treatment and what the future holds, I told him I'm scared too - we shared a cuddle and he went off and played happily.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Cold horrible day today, Drew got out of bed much easier today. He spent the day playing the playstation and indoor ball games with Dane with his favourite for dinner - chicken.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Drew woke up a bit stiff and sore this 
morning and didn't think he could get out of bed, with a bit of pain he managed it quite well. He walked around today like a little crooked man, but was full of good humour, just as long as we didn't make him laugh. In the afternoon we went to watch Kurt's team play soccer, the match before was Drew's old team from last year, they won 3-0 against Drew's old club, so that made him happy and Kurt's team drew 1-1
morning and didn't think he could get out of bed, with a bit of pain he managed it quite well. He walked around today like a little crooked man, but was full of good humour, just as long as we didn't make him laugh. In the afternoon we went to watch Kurt's team play soccer, the match before was Drew's old team from last year, they won 3-0 against Drew's old club, so that made him happy and Kurt's team drew 1-1
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
