The days of heavy chemo are behind us and we are looking forward to returning to a more "normal" life. "Normal", of course, has a new meaning.
Maintenance - Easy in some ways, not in others:
Maintenance started with a spinal tap and chemo flush. If you are scratching your head thinking, "I thought he said the days of chemo were behinds us." The days of HEAVY chemo are behind us. Small doses, however, are here to stay.
Maintenance will be easier on Carson physically...not necessarily easier on Jennifer and I. Here's what the 85-day cycle will look like:
Methotrexate (spinal flush) - Start of every 85 day cycle
Vincristine (IV chemo) - Days 1, 29, and 57
Prednisone (steroid) - Days 1 - 5, 29 - 33, and 57 - 61; 2x a day
Mercaptopurine (oral chemo) - Daily, no eating before/after
Methotrexate (oral chemo) - Weekly
Bactrum (oral antibiotic) - 3 days a week; 2x a day
(I think I'm going to have to lay this all out on a Gantt chart.)
The good news is Carson's hair is already starting to grow back out.
A Little Celebration:
Last week we took Francesca and a friend to the Ringling Bros Circus. Carson had low counts and couldn't attend. Due to a technical difficulty, however, the second half of the show was cut short and we were provided tickets to a follow on show. Fast forward a week. Carson's counts are up, and he gets to go to the circus!
Carson LOVED the show. The elephants, zebras, tigers...and the world biggest collection of little people who flip/twirl/fly through the air. (Where do they get all those performers??) It was an amazing show. Oh yeah, the salty pretzels were a hit, too.
After two hours of sensory overload at the circus, Carson finally runs out of gas and crashes in the car.Many thanks to Growing Hope for providing the tickets to the circus. Although it didn't look like Carson was going to be able to go, in the end everything worked out and he did.
Big miracles and small, we like them all.
Paul.
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