Great Vacation

We are back from vacation and had a great time. The weather was perfect and only rained one night. The week was very eventful and Camp Sunshine was filled with volunteers and loads of activities. At the beginning of the week we had NESN come and sponsor Camp Sunshine. Click on NESN for the quick show. Yes, you can see Greg & I walking around in the background. I was going to give an interview but decided the kayaks were calling instead. The boys had a great time. Nick was very tired in the beginning and ended up with a fever by Tuesday. I took him to the Portland ER where he received an antibiotic and we were able to go back to camp. Tom had blast when he was with us as a family. He had a tough time transitioning in the 'tot lot' but opened up by the end of the week. We believe the person who made the most of camp was Colby. He made friends and tackled some of his fears. He went on paddle boats, kayaks and bass pro fishing boat. In the evenings there were talent shows, masquerade parties and a dinner for the parents. Greg & I were able to relax and peek in our kids having fun.
I took Nick to clinic yesterday and everything was fine. I explained to the doctor how concerned we about these fevers that keep popping up. She said his counts were good and it was likely a virus so we are continuing the same dose as previous cycle. He received Vincristine, Methotrexate, 6MP and steroids.
I hope to post some pictures this week. Take Care. Karen

Camp Sunshine Here We Come

We will be leaving in Sunday for our family vacation to Camp Sunshine. Greg took Nick to clinic yesterday for his 'Monday' chemo. It was only Methotrexate and his counts were good. He will now have a 10 day break (instead of 7) from his chemo. He was hesitant to go yesterday because where his port is located, the area is really sore for him. I guess between going to the ER and clinic over the past 1.5 wks does leave a good black/blue mark on the spot. He is back to himself today and the boys are playing with Michael. I am excited to take a break from blogging, work, and everyday chores for a little bit and just focus on the family time. Take Care. Karen

Back to clinic today

Just when Karen writes that all is cool. Not so much! Nick woke up in the middle of the night and threw up. He had a low grade fever 99.4. He stayed in bed with me and Karen went to the couch. Nick then threw up again at 4am and his fever spiked to 100.3. Nick went back to sleep only to awaken at 5:30 and do it all over again. By 7am he threw up a fourth time and then his temp went to 101. Karen got dressed and brought him to clinic. Thankfully his counts were good. I don't know all of them as Karen just stated that his APC was 6900. He got some antibiotics and two bags of bolus to help make sure he does not become dehydrated and back home they came. Hopefully he gets through this quick and can keep on track so that he can enjoy his vacation next week.
Greg

Everything is Cool

Tuesday, July 13, 2010Everything is Cool
It is actually very hot here in MA and we are in need of some rain. I do say cool because Nick is great. He finished his steroids on Sunday morning. He started complaining of a headache, his throat hurting on Saturday afternoon but we believe this is from his 6 yr old molars growing in. His dentist appt. was on Monday and they confirmed that a couple of them are starting to pop through his gums. I am sure it is sensitive and we were able to give him some Tylenol for it. He had a very busy weekend with the Wykoff family in town and the family sleeping at our house for the weekend. We enjoyed the friends coming over to join us on sat. night. All the kids had 4 wheeler rides on Sat. and Sunday.

I took Nick to clinic on Monday. It was very uneventful and the place was quiet. He recieved his Methotrexate and I booked him an appt. for this Friday. We are leaving for Camp Sunshine on Sunday and Nick needed to recieve his next weeks's chemo (Methotrexate only) before we go. On Friday they will access his port, check his counts and if everything is okay give him his dose. He does not mind because he knows we will be able to go on vacation as scheduled and not a day late.

I am not sure where to start the post today: the fun stuff or the frustrating stuff. I will start with the frustrating and end on a happy note. The weekend turned out awesome and I will get to that in a moment. I am now at the ER with Nick because he spiked a fever this afternoon. He was warm most of the night but no fever. Greg brought him to clinic this morning and he was fine. His counts are pretty good to. He mentioned to them about just giving him an antibiotic because of last night and they said no, no fever. I brought him to the ER tonight. As usual his port is not accessed yet. The nurses spent about 35 minutes talking about the process (which should have alerted me to start with) and then proceded to try and access. The needle was not pushed in enough at all, not sure what she was thinking and Nick started crying. The whole process sucks. I am now waiting for a 5th floor nurse to come down and access him. I guess it will be a long night because we usually average at least 5 hrs after the port is accessed. I am sorry to complain and I think I should be greatful this is only the frustrating part of the whole process. I know we will not be spending the night. I am pretty sure he will get an antibiotic and be released.

Updated: Port accessed by 5th floor nurse, first try and she did great.

Onto the fun stuff: The weekend was a blast. As I mentioned before the boys had so much fun on the beach and jumping off the boardwalk. They told everyone at the party on Sat. We spend the weekend (yes, the older boys & Greg camped out) at The Holmes House. Thank you so much for having us. The kids swam in the pool and another milestone for Nick: he actually swam on his own in the deep end. There are definitely times lately I have said to myself: 'This kid has cancer?' It was great to see our friends and I know there were amazed to see how well Nick is doing. They had lots of questions for us in general and even some of the kids asked questions. The people who know me understand that I am not afraid to talk about Nick, the whole process and the fears we will always have. He is a strong little boy. Colby was fantastic this weekend and is enjoying his summer. He is excited to tent it again. My older sister Christa and her kids are up for the next 2 weeks so we are looking forward to the time we get to spend with them.

Happy 2nd Birthday Tommy

Tom will be 2 tomorrow and our day is filled with fun, fireworks, pool and spending time with close friends. I have ordered an American Flag cake to celebrate with Tom tomorrow. I can not believe he will be 2. He was only 3 months old when Nicholas was dx and there were many nights I was not home with him.

The boys slept over Auntie Michele's house at the Cape last night and Greg, I and Tom drove down today. We had an awesome day and the boys ended up jumping off the bridge and into the water. Colby was very scared but once Greg picked him up there was no going back. Nick had Brittany hold him and two of them just counted to 3 and away they went. As everybody was packing up the beach stuff, I sat with Tom in arms for awhile. It felt so good to hold him and listen to the ocean. Of course as I thought back over the past 2 years and how much Tom has grown tears were coming to my eyes. He has adjusted to his surroundings and continues to challenge us each day. We love you so much Tom.

I forgot to mention that yesterday a playdate for nick turned into a Mohawk. He lookos so cute and it really suits him. I will post pictures of him soon.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July. Karen

Our Three Sons

Wow! Our 3 wonderful boys. We recieved the pictures from Flashes of Hope this week and I could not resist uploading this one. Flashes of Hope came to Hole in the Wall over Mother's Day Weekend and took a bunch of pictures for us. They are a non-profit organization and their goal is to put smiles on kids faces and hold the memories of them. Colby, Tom & Nick - this picture truly relects their personalities.

You can see how far we come in year. The picture up above is 2010 and the other one is 2009 both taken over Mother's Day Weekend. Enjoy every moment with your children, they grow up to fast.