Ok well I’m going to attempt an update but it would seem our computer is dying so I’m not sure if this will work or not. Just typical that this should happen as Scott starts on-line schooling!

Clinic was bursting at the seams today and was very stressful, particularly for Scott. It is incredible how in just one small hospital there are so many children being treated for cancer. We did see many of our friends today which is always nice, yet there are so many heartbreaking worries and stories. Everyone is on edge, waiting to hear about blood tests or scans, everyone holding their breath, waiting to exhale. There is so much pain and worry crammed into that clinic yet at the same time lots of hope and friendship and even smiling faces – maybe it’s just the drugs we are all on!

So anyway, we get there and Scott has his finger poke to draw blood for a cbc and chemistry. His port isn’t accessed until the counts are back and okay to go with chemo. Today his poor fingers were so calloused from so many pokes in previous weeks that it was very hard to get enough blood to flow. The nurse squeezed and squeezed, tried another finger, more squeezing and still no blood, after the third attempt she did manage to get enough drops for testing but by then Scott had tears in his eyes and was scunnered before the day had even begun. She suggested that from now on, due to his calluses, that we use a needle and draw from his arm but he still has very bad memories of this during diagnosis and no way was he agreeing to it. Then we are told the computers are down, his ID card had gone walkabout and it may be a bit of a wait. Oh goody. Scott is pissed off, there are no free beds, the waiting room is spilling over and someone had stolen his identity. Hurray!

So we wait. Like I said we saw so many friends today so at least there was always someone to talk to. Not that our conversations are all that carefree and cheery mind you, but we do talk the same language.

Anyhoo, the bit you are all waiting for, or at least I hope you are, if you aren’t, why are you here? His counts… all good thankfully. Anc over 2500, platelets 252, hgb and wbc low but okay, even the bili behaved itself once more and was within normal range!! Yay for Skittles!

Finally he gets a bed and chemo (vincristine and methotrexate) arrives. He gets accessed, but guess what, after such a long wait his emla (numbing cream) has worn off. Now I think Scott was a bit of a big sissy, a big girls blouse extraordinaire, and it wasn’t nearly as painful a procedure as he made it out to be, but then again what do I know? So anyway, he gets his medicine which takes about 40 minute’s altogether and then is de-accessed. Lots of tears this time and I wasnt at all sure if he was faking or not. But he played it well and before you know it I had promised to buy him Red Faction 2.

As we are waiting to leave we run into Karen, Mathew Gliddon’s mom (my my, aren’t I going all American!). She says to Scott, “I love your chemo pants Scott. Ooops, sorry I meant to say CAMO pants”. LOL. Scott thought this was so funny and now plans on wearing his ‘chemo’ pants every Thursday. But this is what its like. Chemotherapy, radiation, sickness and tummy ache, scans, infections and fevers, blood tests, remission, relapse, and sometimes we even dare to think about CURE. It’s hard to shake these words from your head.

Finally we get home and it’s been rough. Lots of tears, exhaustion, emotion, and even diarrhea thrown in for good measure. And to wash it all down, a syringe full of chemo.

Well, I don’t want to end on a downer. I am just tired and fed up. So hurray for today and good counts and chemo. Can you imagine what this post would have sounded like if his counts had crashed again? My goodness, it wouldn’t have been pretty.