Day 425 - Our medication list is shrinking

     On Monday Evan had his monthly appointment with the oncology team.  He'll typically receive drugs to prop up his immune system and quarterly IV based chemotherapy drugs and spinal taps.  Yesterday we got very good news on a couple of fronts.  Evan's blood counts looked very good.  His immune system was present, but suppressed.  All of his numbers were well within the range the doctors were looking for.

WBC, RBC, HGB, Platelets and ANC all looked good.

     In addition to that we received approval to pull Keflex from our daily medications.  This is an antibiotic that Evan has been on since late last year.  It had been prescribed as a precautionary measure, but with Evan's immune system remaining stable and the latest scan not showing any areas of concern the medical team decided we could discontinue it.  We're going to remain on Voriconazole at least until the next monthly appointment.  The doctors weren't comfortable pulling both medications at the same time.

Following his IV infusions.

     Evan's cold seems to be tapering off, which is another good sign.  It shows his body is fighting foreign bodies as expected.  Cristy and I will need to continue monitoring Evan's health closely.  With these anti-drugs out of the rotation he'll obviously be a bit more susceptible to infections.  Once we get off the Voriconazole I'm anxious to see if this clears up his skin issues or if this is purely a side effect of his Methotrexate.

     After their clinic visit yesterday, Cristy and Evan went over to Scottish Rite to have labs drawn for genetic testing.  The point of these tests are to determine if Evan's immune system was not functioning at maximum capacity before cancer.  A conversation I had with one of the oncology doctors last year was whether Evan's immune system suffered because of cancer OR if a weaker immune system allowed the cancer cells to develop.  It's all theoretical and something that doctors are starting to look at even closer.  We're just now getting the tests done because of all sorts of insurance issues, lack of genetic resources in this area, and the dilemma of whether testing a child going through chemotherapy would be a worthwhile exercise.  We'll have to wait and see.

One of the displays at the main hospital.

     While at Scottish Rite, Cristy and Evan stopped by the Aflac unit to say hello to some of the nurses. They also grabbed a bite in the all too familiar cafeteria and saw some of the new displays.  There was a time when these units were our second home.  I'm happy to say they're moving to a newly updated section of the hospital on the 28th.  I'd like to go visit once they get settled in.  We wish them all the best in their new locale and hope the children and families are able to find peace and comfort in the new amenities.

Grabbing a bite before heading home.