Finally a "normal" day

Or at least the most normal day we've had this week. Scott is feeling fine today. Taking his medications as he is supposed to do. He's very pleased to have slept in his own bed last night. His appetite is going better than it has in quite some time. Scott was never one to "ask" to eat, he just kind of ate because he had to eat. That's changed, and that's a good thing.

We all slept in for quite some time this morning, except for poor Derry, who I put on the school bus pre-dawn today. Scott and I sat around most of the day dodging all the bleach and cleaners Stephanie was spraying everywhere in an attempt to make the house germ-free.

Scott is due back at the clinic, which is attached to the hospital, tomorrow morning for his next round of treatment. If his blood work shows okay and the treatment goes normally, we should be done in just a few hours tomorrow. He is only due one drug tomorrow - vincristine. He had no problem with the first dose of it last week, other than the after effect of a sore jaw. The doctors say that is a very typical side-effect, and Scott said simple Tylenol took care of the pain. We'll see how things go tomorrow.

He is taking his steroids - prednisolone regularly now. That is what is driving his appetite higher than normal. He will remain on that med for 2 more weeks, the take it on a "ween" schedule for the week following.

Scott also has to take Allopurinol currently. This drug helps lower the uric acid in the body, a key factor that kept him in the hospital a couple days longer. Uric acid has to be removed, and Scott is doing a wonderful job of keeping well-hydrated at home. I think he's drank about 8 bottles of water today.

He is also taking bactrim, which is a combination of two general antibiotics. He only takes this drug on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm not positive as to why, but I believe (and will ask tomorrow) that it is done for the 3 days following each treatment, which involves "accessing" his IV port. His "port" is the subcutaneous device he had put in last Friday, allowing all treatments to be done via this spot, without having to have in IV stuck in his arm every week. He even has numbing cream to apply about 45 minutes prior to getting to the clinic, so the needle stick used then is not even felt. All his nurses raved about the benefits of kids having these devices during the ordeal of chemotherapy. Scott's is in his right shoulder area, and he says it doesn't even bother him now.

More tomorrow.