Back from the Doctors

Lots of our questions were answered today and I know some of you have been asking the same questions so here is the cliff notes.

Logan will be on a high dose of Cytarabine (Ara-c) 2 times a day for the next 5 days and Etoposide once a day for 5 days. Each doctors visit this week will be 3 to 4 hours long and are being sent home with an IV pump for his nightly dose (which I'm sure Eric will administer as before). We can't predict how he will react to the medication this time because the dose and duration are different. Logan is also fighting a head cold right now which may interfere with his recovery time. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this doesn't turn into pneumonia.

Tomorrow Amanda, Eric, Logan and I will all be donating blood samples that the doctor will be sending to the transplant lab in Kansas City for tissue typing. If Amanda is not a tissue match they'll keep our info on file for future cross matches. I'm not sure when we'll get the results back.

Wednesday we are still on schedule for the bone marrow aspiration at 8 a.m. with a doctors office visit at 1:00 - long day for all of us! Hopefully we'll know before the end of the day if he is in remission.

I think that covers everything. So far Logan is feeling good and eating everything in sight.

Kissy Face and Mucky Mud

Logan came home from school today with a giant kiss on his forehead. I asked him who gave him the kiss and he said his teacher gave 4 kids in the class kiss stamps for extra good behavior. I must admit it was quite a shock to see my 5 year old get off the bus with lip prints on this face.

In other news, after he got home we decided to do some work in the yard. We had a wildlife pond that the dogs kept jumping into and getting stinky so we decided to fill it in. Here's what happened afterwards.

More Chemo in Logan's Future

Since Logan is recovering so quickly from this last round of chemo he will be starting is first maintenance therapy chemo on Monday, August 31. We won't know if he is in remission until Wednesday, September 2 when they do a bone marrow aspiration. (His doctor didn't want to wait for the aspiration in case Logan IS in remission because that would put him behind schedule.) On Wednesday they will also tissue type Logan and Amanda to determine if she can donate to Logan for a bone marrow transplant.

I'm already nervous as hell and I have to wait until WEDNESDAY to get the answer to my life’s most important question. Keep Logan in your thoughts and think positive for us... don't know if that helps but I'm willing to try anything.

Quick recovery

Logan's white blood cells (including neutrophils) and platelets are coming back strong. His hemoglobin is a bit slower to recover, but we just might avoid any additional transfusions. Logan is feeling more like himself every day, and is adjusting well to school. His teacher asked us to come visit his class to answer questions that some of the kids had. We told them why he had no hair and what the tubes on his chest are used for. We reminded the kids that washing their hands was the best way to keep Logan (and themselves) healthy. We also sent Logan with a picture of him when he had hair to show his new friends.

Logan is happy that he has platelets again, so he won't have to worry about falls during recess. Overall, it was a 5-star day.

First Day of SCHOOL!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!! We were so excited that we were ready a little early and had to kill some time this morning.

READY TO GO!

Waiting at the bus stop... just down the road.

First bus ride EVER!

At the school!

Oh Happy Day!

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He had a GREAT first day... a little tired and hungry (school food doesn't agree with him) but he now has some new friends and loves it. The other kids were very curious about Logan's lack of hair and tubes and such so we went early to pick him up for a doctors appointment and answered all the kids questions. BTW - Logan had a CBC blood test today. We'll know the results tomorrow. He's looking great, but it's hard to judge what's going on inside sometimes.

Fever Free

So far today Logan hasn't had any Tylenol and is FEVER FREE for the first time in almost a week!!!!! Looks like he's on the mend and he's feeling more like himself.

Doing Better

Logan is feeling better. His last dose of IV antibiotics is at midnight and then he will only be on oral antibiotics. We are hoping that he will be healthy enough to attend school on Monday. We met with the school nurse and his teacher today to get caught up and update them on his health and well being. He already knows one of the kids in this class (from Moms Day Out) and one boy from his class will also be riding the bus with him. He's very excited and ready to go. We're keeping our fingers crossed for him that he will be able to attend.

Still feeling bad

His fever is still raging but so far we've managed to stay out of the hospital. His doctor put him on another antibiotic (oral) to fight bacteria infections in his intestines since Logan is complaining of abdominal pain. No results on the stool sample or blood cultures yet. Blood counts are low... WBC.6, HCB 7.9, Platelets 3400... but not low enough for another transfusion.

Not Doing Great

We are definitely on a roller coaster in the Neal house. Yesterday we were up with the prospect of going to school... today we are down because Logan isn't feeling well. We took him to see his Doctor and they are running blood tests and cultures to see what ails the boy. We may have the results as early as tomorrow. His fever is back up and he is having stomach pain so guess who gets to collect a stool sample. :-0 The things a mother must do...

We may be in the hospital again soon. It depends on how high is fever gets, what the cultures come back as and his general health. At least with him on antibiotics we've eliminated a good portion of what could be wrong.

You just don't know how strong you are until you are tested.

Great News!

Logan was given the all clear to attend the first day of school! That is, assuming he's feeling well. It will only be a half day for him since he has a doctors appointment in the afternoon but he'll make it through 70% of the school day.

He's doing good at home. His fever still comes and goes but nothing to high or for too long. We're just taking it easy for the next couple of days... playing games and watching tv.

Home Sweet Home

We are home and settled...

Going Home

If Logan continues to be fever free through this afternoon we get to go home this evening!!!!! His hemoglobin dropped from yesterday so he'll need a blood transfusion before we go. We'll need to administer his antibiotics at home, just like last time. He'll be on 4 doses a day of two different antibiotics for 5 more days.

It's looking like he may miss the first week of school. : ( We'll talk to Dr. Rosen and see how he's doing later this week and update accordingly... a little sad, but at least we'll be home!

Platelet Transfusion

Logan is getting a a platelet transfusion today. It dropped drastically over night and he is at risk for bleeding (and not being able to clot). His hemoglobin is holding steady and white blood cells improved slightly. No bacteria grew out in his cultures so if he stays fever free we may be outta here tomorrow. Poor guy is bored to tears!

Fever

Logan had a high fever last night so we'll be here at least through Monday. He's feeling okay... just a little tired. The bacteria cultures haven't grown out anything to date. His blood counts are low, but no transfusions needed yet.

No News Yet

We are still waiting on the bacteria cultures to grow out. They look at it after 12 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours. His fever is still up and down, but nothing too high. We're just chillin' in the room with some Mario Party games to keep us company! So far no transfusions are necessary.

Back At Wesley

Logan was admitted to Wesley Hospital tonight for fever. It came on suddenly this evening. Eric is staying the night with him. They've drawn blood for bacteria cultures and are doing another CBC to determine if he will need a blood transfusion tonight. He is also being started on antibiotics. I'll post more tomorrow as information becomes available.

Results Tomorrow

Logan gave another blood sample today but we won't have the results until tomorrow morning. We'll let you all know when the numbers are in.


Here are some photos of the fun we've been having this week.

Amanda's Photographic Expertise!

Water Playdate... SO MUCH FUN!

Logan was coaching Amanda on how to get across the water.

Waiting for the ducks to get out of the way.

WHEEEEEEEE!

Nothing Has Come Up!

Logan is still hanging in there. He gets tired more easily but no fever to date. We have an appointment tomorrow at 11:45 for a blood test. We'll post the results when we get them.

Blood Counts

Yesterday's blood counts are in. White blood cells - 2.2, Hemoglobin 7.8, Platelets 210, Neutrophils 0.66. Right now he is only slightly neutropenic... no blood transfusion needed unless the Hemoglobin falls to 6.0 or below and no platelet transfusion until it falls below 10. He still looks great and his energy is still coming in waves. Unless something comes up tomorrow, we won't go back for another blood count until Thursday.

Monday's Results

Our appointment got pushed back today because of a backup at the doctors office so we won't have today's lab results until tomorrow morning. So far so good. We'll post if anything changes.

Relaxing Weekend

The whole family has enjoyed a relaxing weekend. Logan wanted to go camping but it's 100 degrees here in Kansas so we talked him into camping in the basement instead. We made a "camp fire" with some crate paper and a fan and pretended to roast smores.Eric set up the tent while I blacked out the windows so we could use our flashlights. They slept down there on Friday night, Saturday night and maybe tonight too. You can't tell in the photo, but we also put a flashlight under the fan so with the lights out the fire "glows". : ) With the crate paper waving in the breeze it actually sounds like a crackling fire!

Logan is still doing well. Tonight is his last dose of medicine and we go to the doctor tomorrow morning for a CBC blood test. We won't get the results until after lunch and if he needs a transfusion we'll need to go to Wesley hospital (as an out patient hopefully). The transfusion will take about 4 hours so if I don't post the results by dinner time, you'll know that we're busy at the hospital.

Final Friday

Today was Logan's final office visit for chemo. Eric will be administering the rest through Sunday and we'll be back there on Monday for a CBC (blood work). Yesterday's spinal sample came back clear. His blood counts are still going great... but we expect them to crash sometime next week. Logan's very happy that there will be NO MORE RED STUFF!!!!!

He's feeling bone pain again this round so we're keeping him on a steady dose of Tylenol and it seems to be helping. His energy also comes in waves, but other than that he's doing great.

All Went Well

Logan's spinal tap went well today. Same as last time, they took a sample of spinal fluid before injecting the chemo drug. Logan also gave a blood sample today and we'll post the results of his CBC and spinal fluid test tomorrow after we get home. Logan continues to do well this week... eating like a horse and great energy levels. Tomorrow will be his last office visit for Daunorubiein (nasty red stuff) and Etoposide. Eric will administer the Cytarabine on Saturday and Sunday. We'll be going in to Dr. Rosen's office periodically next week for blood tests and Logan will probably need blood transfusions again but we're hoping to keep him out of the hospital this time... we'll see how it goes I guess.

Whoops

Dr Rosen dropped the ball today and Logan gets a 24 hour reprieve on the spinal tap. Logan is really broken up about it too... NOT! So today's visit went well : ). Logan slept through most of it. He's still doing well at home too so no other news to report. (Which is good news in itself!)

School Visit

Today's doctor visit went well again. Tomorrow will be a long day for us... Logan's appointment doesn't start until 11:30, he gets all 3 drugs and the spinal tap too so we probably won't be finished until 3:30 or 4:00.

Logan continues to feel well today. No vomiting yesterday and he is eating well. This afternoon we met with his principal to discuss his situation and what to do when he misses a lot of school. We also were able to meet his teacher and tour his classroom. He's VERY excited! Since he continues to feel well, we are going back to school shopping this evening.

Hanging In There

Logan is doing well tonight after his first dose of round two chemo induction. So far no vomiting... just abdominal pain. He's lazing on the couch watching some toons. Eric will continue to play nursemaid and administer his second dose around 10:00 tonight. We'll be at the doctors office again tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. and he may get his spinal tap then... I forgot to ask while I was there when they were doing that this week.

It All Starts Again Monday

Logan will be starting round two of chemo on Monday. Since he knows what to expect now he's a little worried about it. This round will be 3 days shorter... only Monday through Sunday... but still the same drugs as last time. After talking to Dr. Rosen about Logan's condition after the first round and he said each time is different so he may not have neutropenic fever this time (like last). We just can't predict how sick he will be. Let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best because Logan is scheduled to start Kindergarten on the 17th and he will be SO disappointed to miss the first week of school. He's been counting down for a month already!

Logan was very sad that Amanda was able to spend so much time in KC with her cousins wile he was in the hospital so we've had them here in Wichita with us all week and we've had a WONDERFUL time. We've gone to the Exploration Place, many parks, Chuck E Cheese and so much more this week. We going to continue Operation Fun Times this weekend by heading to KC and taking Logan and Amanda to Worlds of Fun! They've never been there so I very excited to see their reactions. We'll post again on Monday after Logan's doctors appointment to let you all know how things went.

Here are some photos of our fun week with Logan and Amanda's cousins... The Three D's!!!!

Logan, Delaney, Donovan, Dillon, Amanda

The boys worked for a LONG time building a sand towers and knocking them down.




He's so handsome!


Logan told me yesterday that he's getting use to his bald head now!