Goodbye 2014! On December 31st, we were supposed to celebrate the end of our journey with Shane’s last chemo. Whether we would have rung a bell or thrown a party, it doesn’t matter. The celebration would have been short lived and we would have had to pick ourselves up higher than we have in the recent past. We cheers to the end of the hardest year of our lives. We have hard feelings, but as always you must find the positives.

We have ourselves a little fighter. Shane was not expected to make it this far. The doctors are constantly amazed at his progress. For his strength, we are thankful. My husband and I are a solid team. Who says you can’t meet your soulmate in a bar? Chase and Ella are braver than they ever knew they could be. Through this all, we have maintained their lives as best as we could.

We are blessed with supportive family and amazing friends-new and old-who are by our side every step of the way. While 2014 was not as we expected, we have learned a lot about ourselves…our strengths, what pure joy and happiness is and above all to be thankful for each and every day. To all those fighters out there, we are lucky to know you…to share the ups and downs and to find support in one another.

Happy New Year to you all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your love and support along the way.
Love,
The Metzgars

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted and I apologize, it’s been a crazy month. If you are on Facebook and would like to follow Shane’s progress more closely, please “like” and “share” his page to raise awareness at https://www.facebook.com/HelpShaneFightCancer.  It has been a more user friendly medium to post updates recently since this month has been a whirlwind.

The Ups and Downs….

After our trip to the ER, we went to clinic on Wednesday. Shane’s attending oncologist had felt the lump on Wednesday and told us it didn’t change much in size. Yep, I had some mixed emotions about this statement, but regardless it is a bit of relief that a tumor didn’t just grow in days and it matches with the scan. Another decent piece of news for the day, the chemo needs time to kick in. It would be too early for us to assume this new protocol is not working. Therefore, we went ahead with that week’s treatment as scheduled.

It was a long day, as this new drug caused issues again. The day hospital nurses were more familiar with it and the time limits and vital signs were lessened. Shane sleep through most of the a day, thanks to Benadryl. He again did not need any anti nausea meds afterwards. He was battling a cold, but loved to wipe his nose. He continued to dance, laugh and play.

On the morning of the 6th, we went back to the ER because Shane was had a seriously high fever. He was diagnosed with RSV and was neutrapenic. We did not go home until Monday, the 8th. On Wednesday, we found out his ANC’s have rebounded and the mass had shrunk. It seems as though the new treatment is working and he was in a good place. He received his treatment, again with no major issues.

We delayed his next treatment until this past Monday. It was an inpatient stay. We did this so that his lowest day after treatment would not fall on Christmas and we could celebrate with our family. Shane did great. He again has a runny nose afterwards and we hope that he will be able to fight it off before his ANCs plummet. We will return to clinic on Monday for his next treatment.

We would like to wish all of you the happiest of holidays and all the best for the New Year. Thank you for all the support you have shown our family and for rallying behind our little guy. He is a fighter and will will fight with him as long as we can.
One day at a time. One foot in front of the other. Enjoying every moment of everyday. It’s the only way we know how.

My heart is heavy this morning. Paul and I took Shane to the ER last night. Our initial worry last evening was his fluctuating low grade fever as we were day 6 post treatment where his numbers begin dropping making him susceptible to infection. I decided to give him bath and as he was sitting up, a large lump became noticeable below his neck. Last night an ultrasound confirmed it to be a mass. His PET scan on 11/21 lit up not just in his pancreas, but “slightly” in his sternum and tibia. I don’t know what the plan is. He is acting and being himself, so it is not interfering with his breathing, etc.. We’re doing everything we’re supposed to do and will continue to do so. To say we are worried, scared, sad is an understatement. There are so many things we have yet to do….these thoughts are so overwhelming.

On 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.