Day 155 - The Indestructible Clot

     It's been a quiet week at the house which is something this family needed.  On Thursday morning Evan had his last steroid treatment.  There may be more in other phases of chemotherapy, but for the next 30 days we're done.  He's been able to put weight back on and put himself in a healthier spot overall.  In the pictures he'll appear fat, but much of this is water weight and bloating due to the steroids.  He should return to a more normal size next week.

Relaxing in the basement with Daddy.

     Yesterday Evan had blood drawn to check his counts and some of it was sent to verify that his Voriconazole levels are still therapeutic.  We won't get those results until next week at the earliest.  His blood counts have remained fairly stable despite the chemo.  As his cells continue to die off his nadir will hit next week.  The bumps on his skin are mainly scars from the surgeries and even while feeling his arm we're unable to find any lumps.  It would appear the Voriconazole has suppressed this very tricky outbreak (finally).
     In addition to the blood draw Evan also had an ultrasound done on his chest to check the status of his blood clot.  Unfortunately it's still there despite the blood thinners we've been on since July.  The nurse Cristy spoke with couldn't comment much further on it because it's not her field of expertise, but a thrombologist is being consulted.  I was hopeful we might see a reduction in its size or eliminated completely so that we could pare back the twice a day Lovenox shots.  After talking to Cristy about it my first question was how does someone fall into a career studying clots?  But I digress....
     In order to put Evan in the best possible spot to remain healthy for the holidays we had to reluctantly decline spending Thanksgiving with the family.  Cristy and I wanted some form of normalcy so we've decided to cook a scaled down dinner here at the house on that Thursday.  It won't be the same, but keeping Evan out of the hospital is our main objective.
     To give Evan a break from sitting around the house Cristy found a matinee of Trolls and took him earlier this week.  I was glad to see him get out while he can and do something he really enjoys.  We bumped PT back up to twice a week.  I'm toning back my regimen with Evan.  I was pushing him hard this weekend and earlier this week, but will give the plan more time to take effect.

The next movie we're likely to try and go to.

     On Monday Evan has another appointment which will include a spinal tap.  Based on what Aetna will cover all at once, versus spread out over time, will determine if he has another appointment on Wednesday or not.  I'll explain in a later blog.  Until then I hope everyone takes care, enjoys time with family over the next week and takes a moment to reflect on what they're thankful for.