Morning Liam’s Army! I wanted to give everyone a little update about what has been happening since we returned from New York. It is so nice to be home and back together. Small things that we once took for granted are much more appreciated these days. Putting Liam in the tub and allowing him to play and splash without worry of keeping his line dry is just one example. We are also very much enjoying the sunshine and being able to get outside without taking Liam out in crowds.
We arrived home late Wednesday night. Liam did great on the flight, once again, sleeping for about 3 hours of the flight from Chicago. It was nice to have a short layover in both directions so he could get out and run around and we could grab some food. We were very happy to be home, see the girls, and sleep in our own beds. Thursday the local elementary school hosted a fundraiser for Liam and a 5th grader that recently has been battling cancer. It was so fun to see several family and friends. I cried on more than one occasion. It was overwhelming to feel the love and support in that room. So thank you to any and all of you that have helped along the way. We left Liam, Gracie, and Em home with a babysitter so it was also nice to enjoy a quiet meal...it’s been awhile.
While Liam has acted what we felt like was “normal” during his treatments we have seen a whole new side of him since returning from New York. He is so much more full of life. He loves to be chased, tickled, and played with. He has started climbing on everything but also loves still loves to be held and cuddled. There is definitely more laughter here and a feeling of contentment. I really think he is just enjoying getting to be a “normal” little boy without restrictions of active treatment life.
Many have asked where do we go from here? Well that is a really good question. We are starting to get some answers. We have appointments next week(Tuesday and Wednesday) to start the after active treatment process. On Tuesday we will be doing labs, a urine sample, and contrast injection. Then on Wednesday we will have our actual scan(MIBG-glow in the dark test) and meet with our new attending Dr. Fluchel at Primary Children’s(we asked to be reassigned). So on a tangent I'm going to attempt to explain the MIBG(I'm no expert). Liam will be given contrast roughly 24 hours before he has the scan. That contrast will be absorbed by any of the neuroblastoma cells and show us where his active cancer is. When Liam originally had his first MIBG we were hoping for only a glowing avocado and thankfully that is what we found. This go around we are hoping for no glowing….no active cancer. So if you want something specific to pray for no glowing would be a great choice. We are also curious to see where his immune system is at as far as recovering. We have been told it can take several months for his immune system to rebound from treatment. We are doing our best to keep this little guy healthy and your prayers for that would be much appreciated as well.
The war is definitely not over but we have been winning the battles. Please continue to keep Liam and us in your prayers. I will post an update next week after our appointments.
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