The New Plan

The New Plan PostOn November 12th, Shane completed his last treatment on the original protocol. The following Monday he was scheduled for a PET scan, but the scanner broke and we were rescheduled for Friday. This meant Shane had to be starved twice in one week. Through it all, he was smiling, walking and being his happy self.

Before the scan, we met with the doctors and went over his new protocol. Shane’s doctors consulted with a few radiologists and they all agreed it was a tumor on his pancreas. Even without the results from the PET we were moving forward with the new plan. It’s 9 weeks and then we re-scan to see where we are.

Yesterday we began the new treatment. It required an overnight stay. This plan is similar to last in that most of it can be done outpatient, with only one inpatient stay every 2 weeks.

The day was long. We started early, but inevitably his chemo did not start until after 1. The most difficult part of this new treatment is with one of the medicines. This one was new to everyone, even the nurses. Its been shown to be successful in relapse protocols for rhabdo over in Europe. When it is administered, Shane has to have his vitals checked every 15 minutes for the hour it transfuses and another hour afterwards. How are we going to make that work? Well, we did, even if it meant I hung out in a crib during that time.

Afterwards, Shane was strutting around, eating like a champ and pretending he didn’t have a bedtime. He eventually went to sleep and had a restful night. He woke this morning smiling and talking. He had an appetite and was his normal self. We were discharged first thing this morning since we do not have to wait for the shot 24 hours post chemo, but at 8 days post treatment.

The rest of the day, Shane did great. He ate well, didn’t require anti nausea meds and played like a kid his age should. For this, we are thankful. We are also thankful to spent another Thanksgiving with our little man and to be with our family to celebrate this.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and is thankful for all the precious moments life grants you.

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