Halfway There
Cooper finished the first half of intensification. Friday we went in to check blood levels. We thought for sure he was going to need a blood transfusion but he did not. His ANC has dropped significantly which is to be expected. Other things have actually fluctuated up and down from week to week, so they do not believe he has hit bottom yet. We are also done with his high dose steroids this cycle which is wonderful.
His ANC was below the threshold for him to meet counts for day 29 in this cycle (Friday) and since they don't think he has hit bottom yet, they expect his second half round of chemo will be delayed. Unfortunately, this is not what we wanted to hear. There is no risk to him being delayed and it is actually extremely common. However, the drug he is about to get is the most difficult chemo drug and will wipe out everything. It has been the splinter in everyone's mind since the beginning, since it is the hardest and he will be getting it everyday for 10 days with a 2 day break. He will be getting it from a subcutaneous shot given by an at home care nurse. So, we just didn't want to delay the inevitable any more than necessary. Blood levels do strange things though, so we will see.
The last few weeks have been hard because Cooper is starting to really look and act sick. He lays around a lot, naps frequently, and quite frankly his spirit is crushed. He is beginning to look very weary from the long and difficulty road his little body has traveled. The next 3 weeks will only prove to be more challenging as things drop more. He is so strong and he is pushing through and trying so very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In other news, Cooper lost his first tooth! This was very exciting for him. Mom and dad....not so much, because having a gaping hole in your mouth when your platelets are low and you are at a high risk of infection, doesn't seem like the best timing! Oh well! All is well that ends well.
Cooper also got to get out and play in the snow a little this week. He LOVED it and was so happy. Unfortunately, playing out in the snow for about 40 minutes each day wiped him out and he was either taking a 2 hour nap or he was in bed by 6 PM. Getting outside was wonderful though.
His ANC was below the threshold for him to meet counts for day 29 in this cycle (Friday) and since they don't think he has hit bottom yet, they expect his second half round of chemo will be delayed. Unfortunately, this is not what we wanted to hear. There is no risk to him being delayed and it is actually extremely common. However, the drug he is about to get is the most difficult chemo drug and will wipe out everything. It has been the splinter in everyone's mind since the beginning, since it is the hardest and he will be getting it everyday for 10 days with a 2 day break. He will be getting it from a subcutaneous shot given by an at home care nurse. So, we just didn't want to delay the inevitable any more than necessary. Blood levels do strange things though, so we will see.
The last few weeks have been hard because Cooper is starting to really look and act sick. He lays around a lot, naps frequently, and quite frankly his spirit is crushed. He is beginning to look very weary from the long and difficulty road his little body has traveled. The next 3 weeks will only prove to be more challenging as things drop more. He is so strong and he is pushing through and trying so very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In other news, Cooper lost his first tooth! This was very exciting for him. Mom and dad....not so much, because having a gaping hole in your mouth when your platelets are low and you are at a high risk of infection, doesn't seem like the best timing! Oh well! All is well that ends well.
Cooper also got to get out and play in the snow a little this week. He LOVED it and was so happy. Unfortunately, playing out in the snow for about 40 minutes each day wiped him out and he was either taking a 2 hour nap or he was in bed by 6 PM. Getting outside was wonderful though.
Drumroll PLEASE..... We have a LEGO master builder on our hands. The Hogwarts masterpiece is complete!!!! 6,000+ pieces and mom and dad didn't get to touch a single one! He is so proud of his work. So much for the project lasting him through intensification though! We had to ration out the bags, otherwise he would have finished it faster.
Sadly, just in the last day Cooper has started to lose his hair. He held onto it for so long, it pretty much all quit at the same time. He lost about half of his hair overnight and his pillow was full of it in the morning. We are letting him decide what he wants to do, if he wants to just let it fall out or it he wants to shave it. If we do let it fall out, we expect it will be gone in the next 2 days or so. Cooper seems to be just fine with losing his hair. Mom and dad are struggling with it a bit though. For now he wears a hat just so all of the falling hair doesn't bug him and itch him. He is handling it very well.
We will keep everyone posted on whether we get to start on Friday or not. Thanks as always for all of the thoughts and prayers.
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