Today Oliver received chemo in his spine and vincristine in his port.  This spinal will be his first spinal received with no sedation or similar type drugs. After the reaction to the small dosage of atavan in the last spinal, his doctor felt he would be better off with nothing.  I was nervous for Oliver today, but he was so easy going and brave.  The procedure was much faster than it was with the sedative drugs and while it was uncomfortable and painful, Oliver endured. I am so proud of him! ...
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I cannot believe it has been two months since my last post.  I am so sorry for the delay! There really hasnt been much to report.  Oliver has been playing flag football, excelling in school and is happy.  Last week however, he spiked a very high fever.  We did not have to go to ER because he no longer has his port.  The doctors suspect this is a viral issue, but last night he spiked a high fever again and unfortunately had to go to ER because it was so close to the fever last week.  His count...
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It has been one month since my last post.  Oliver recently received a spinal which went ok.  The procedure is slightly different in California than Texas.  Instead of receiving versed, he was given ativan.  I am definitely not an expert on drugs, but this is the first spinal he has received that he actually remembers.  My understanding is the ativan is for anti-anxiety, the versed is a bit stronger and more like an anesthetic.  While I really do not like that he remembers the spinal, I think ...
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Update
Yesterday Oliver had his portacath removed.  The surgical procedure took about 45 minutes from start to finish.  He is recovering well and the doctor also corrected a scar from the first surgery when his port was placed.  His counts have been great and he is happy to have his port out.

My rant
While Oliver's treatment plan remains the same, we are finding some differences in application of treatment between Houston and San Francisco.  Which is what prompted the port removal.  The port doe...
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Today we have our first appointment at the children's hospital in San Francisco.  We are nervous about the appointment and hope it goes well after such a big move.  Our doctors in Houston assured us that this is a stable time to move in this phase of Oliver's treatment. (Oh, I suppose I should mention, we recently moved from Texas to California!)  His ANC has remained steady around 1,200 and we hope it continues to stay in that range.  Many of you may not know that September is Childhood Canc...
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Hopefully everyone has enjoyed the summer.  Oliver's has been quite eventful with a trip to Legoland and lots of fun in the sun.  Today Oliver received chemo in his spine and vincristine through his port with his ANC totalling 910, which is right around the target.  I will never get used these treatments, especially spinal days, but he recovered quickly and I continue to be amazed at his resilence and happiness. 

Oliver also celebrated his 6th birthday on Monday.  His spinal was orignally sch...
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I just realized it has been close to two months since I have updated the blog.  I am so sorry to those who have checked only to find a stale post.  Life has been so hectic between work and two kids, still no excuse, and I apologize.  Oliver has received a spinal, a few chemo treatments through his port and breathing treatments of pantamidine since my last update.   His at home chemo dosages have gradually gone up at each visit due to high ANC counts.  Today his ANC decreased to 1020, which is...
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Counts today:  ANC 970, Hgb 11.7, Platelets 264

Two weeks ago, Oliver had a clinic visit, ANC came back at 1570 which resulted in increase of home chemo pills (methotrexate).  Today Oliver received vincrinstine through his port and a pantamidine breathing treatment.  Both went fine and Oliver's doctor was happy with the ANC counts this week.  Nothing new to report, which in this situation is a good thing.  Seeking patience and acceptance, we have a long way in treatment to go.  Feels like it w...
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Counts today :ANC - 1380, Hgb 9.6, Platelets, 252

Today Oliver received methotrexate in his spine today and a push of vincristine through his port.  Spinal day are always long and exhausting.  On top of the spinal, we were informed that Oliver's hemoglobin has been gradually getting lower over the past few months. The doctor felt it was from the antibiotic (dapson) he has been taking to prevent PCP (a type of pneumonia immune compromised people are susceptible to).  He previously was on the an...
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1/4/11 Visit - ANC 1590
1/17/11 Visit - ANC 2900
Today we had a quick visit for count checks.  Oliver's ANC increased slightly from his prior visit, but no increase in chemo.  The next visit (in two weeks - Jan 31) Oliver will receive chemo in his spine.  By this point in the treatment, Oliver has received enough spinals and pokes, that his understanding and tolerance for the clinic visits seems to have detiorated and I honestly do not blame him one bit.  We have all grown weary and jaded from ...
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Wow!  I can't believe how long it has been since I updated the blog.  These past few weeks have been extremely busy.  With Thanksgiving, Christmas prep, and out of town travel for work, haven't had much time, but that is no excuse, and I apologize to anyone that checked for an update only to find the stale November 8 post.  Well, look at the bright side, more to catch up on this post.  We just returned from clinic for a count check, Oliver's ANC was almost 7,000!!!  We did not anticipate such...

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ANC - 1070

Today Oliver received methotrexate via spinal tap and vincristine through his port.  His ANC went down to 1070 which is close enough to his goal of 1000 and therefore no changes to his chemo dosages this week.  He is now borderline neutropenic but this is in line with keeping his immune system supressed to ensure effective chemo.  The spinals tend creep up on us each quarter much like any nagging appointment or commitment, best to just muster up the courage and deal with it.  Oliver...

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Today Oliver's ANC shot up to 4016 despite the increase in chemo dosages two weeks ago.  We will be increasing his at home chemo (methotrexate and 6mp) to bring the ANC down now within the 1,000 range.  He has another spinal scheduled in two weeks (November 8).  It is amazing how quickly time passes, it seems like we just had a spinal.  Oliver also received his flu shot today.  We were so impressed by how brave he was - no screaming or crying, he just sat calmly and watched as the nurse pushe...
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ANC: 1530
Platelets - 280
Hemoglobin - 11.7

Sorry for the delay in updates, Oliver's count check two weeks ago revealed an ANC of 2600.  Oliver received vincristine through his port and an IVIG transfusion.  His IGG counts crept up to within a normal range, so there is a possibility of no more IVIG transfusions!  We will know in a month.  Much like eager toddlers reaching for and focusing on one goal at a time in Oliver's treatment, we have yet to fully comprehend the underlying complexity of th...
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Clinic visit:  September 14, 2010
ANC:   3,900 !!!! YAY!

Oliver's ANC was actually normal at today's visit - it has not been this high in a very long time.  Oliver received vincristine chemo in his port and also received an IVIG transfusion.  While his ANC is up, his IG counts are still down.  The doctor said it could take up to 6-7 weeks for the IG levels to stablize and some children need the transfusions throughout their entire treatment.  We will also look at adjusting his chemo dosages.  H...
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Last clinic visit:  8/20/2010 Counts: ANC below 1,000 but ok to resume chemo at home and start school

One year ago today, Oliver was diagnosed with ALL.  It is so hard to believe how drastically our lives have changed in that year.  In the last year, Oliver has undergone surgeries, several very harsh treatments, been hospitalized at various times, lost and regrown his hair, swollen up like a balloon from steroids to extremely tiny and fragile and has fought very hard for his life.  Larry and I...
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Today Oliver received methotrexate via spinal tap, vincristine chemo via his port and his first IV IG transfusion.  He was premedicated with hydrocortisone (as is standard procedure as he had allergic reaction to his first transfusion of blood product).  All went well, no reactions and he recovered quickly from the spinal. 

Unfortunately, Oliver's ANC counts dropped to 320 rendering him severly neutropenic and on isolation restriction, so no tae kwon do this week :)  We also will again hold a...
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Today Oliver's ANC was 1060 slightly up from last week but not high enough to resume full strength chemo pills.  He will stay on 50% methotrexate and mercapturine until his ANC gets above 1500.  Results also came back from his enzyme study, no abnormalities to report but we did learn the cause of his low ANC counts was due to low IGG levels.  He will need to start receiving monthly  IV transfusions of IGG.  These transfusions take 4-5 hours and are very similar to a blood or platelet transfus...
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Yesterday was Oliver's 5th birthday.  We were so happy and thankful to celebrate another year of his life.  He has been through so much this last year and is truly a remarkable boy.  His latest obsession is with Mario games on the wii and of course he still enjoys his cars, play doh, etc.  Today, he received vincristine via his port.  We forgot to put numbing cream on his port today and he had to get it accessed with freeze spray, which is considerably more painful and Oliver was so strong, n...
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Oliver's WBC counts have been down the last couple of weeks leaving him on neutropenic isolation.  They just went back up today and so he will resume his home chemo (pills) at reduced dosages with some modifications which hopefully will resolve the issue.  The doctors also ordered an enzyme study last week.  Results will be back in a couple of weeks to show if there are any issues with his body breaking down the methotrexate.  We will keep everyone posted and are very happy his ANC went back ...
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Oliver received methotrexate via spinal tap today and vincristine through his port.  His ANC was 640 and hgb 10.8 which are both fine.  We would like the ANC to be a little higher, but it was high enough for chemo today and is expected to fluctuate over the next few months as Oliver's body gets used to the maintenance chemotherapy.  He was very brave and cooperative during his port access and spinal tap today and is resting soundly right now.  His energy and character continue to amaze us.  T...
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I just realized it has been almost a month since the last update.  Sorry for the delay.  Thankfully, not much to report this past month.  Oliver's ANC counts have been up and down, but as of last Monday, his ANC was at 840.  He is still neutropenic, but not isolated (below 500 is severely neutropenic).  We go back to clinic May 24 for spinal and VCR chemo.  It is hard to believe three months have passed since the last spinal.  Oliver remains happy and energetic.  He started a taekwondo class ...
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Last Monday Oliver's ANC dropped to 40 rendering him severely neutropenic or basically with no immunity or ability to fight any kind of infection.  Because of the low ANC, we had to hold all chemotherepy pills at home and recheck in a week.  Today, the ANC went up to 480, which is in the right direction, but still not high enough to resume chemo pills for this week.  Next Monday we will check again, and if the counts go up, Oliver will receive vincristine via his port and resume chemo at home...

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It is hard to believe it has been almost a month since the last update!  We did have a clinic visit two weeks ago just for a count check and results were great.  Yesterday Oliver received VCR via his port and surprisingly his blood, platelet and ANC counts declined slightly.  No transfusion or isolation required and the doctor expects the counts to fluctuate over the next couple of months as his body is still recovering from delayed intensification.  Oliver was so brave at his clinic visit - ...
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Oliver's counts have improved significantly and yesterday Oliver received his first chemo treatment at the clinic under maintenance!!  He is still neutropenic but his ANC went up from last week just enough to perform the spinal.  Oliver demonstrated tremendous bravery and did not cry or scream at all when accessing his port.  We are so proud of our little boy.  

We are told maintenance is far less intense and we can start regaining a sense of normalcy to our lives.  The clinic visits will be ...

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Oliver's counts today were too low to receive his first maintenance chemo and spinal - we will try again next week.  It is our first delay throughout this process - hopefully by next week his counts will be high enough.  On one hand we are relieved he gets a break from medications for a week, but on the other hand, the sooner he begins his 3 yr maintenance chemo treatments we are that much closer to closing this chapter of our lives.  Of course we know there will be a lifetime relationship wi...
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Oliver went to clinic last Thursday and today.  His ANC is very low (60 last Thurs, 140 today) which equates to severely neutropenic (immune comprised).  His blood was borderline transfusion at both visits - anything below 8 requires transfusion - today it was 7.9 and last Thurs 8.2  but the doctor decided based on his energy level to skip transfusion today and recheck him this Friday.  We pray he is on an upward trend and will not require transfusion on Friday.  On Monday, Oliver will receiv...

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Inevitably, it is impossible to predict a "short" clinic day from a long one.  We thought Oliver would need transfusions last Thursday but he did not.  His counts were down on Thursday, but did not meet threshold for transfusion.  He did however need a blood transfusion yesterday.  His platelets were down significantly as well, but not below the transfusion level.  We have an office visit on Friday to check counts again.  It was surprising that his blood was low yesterday given his high energ...
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We just returned from clinic -as anticipated, Oliver's counts have plummeted since last week.  He has no white blood cells, low hemoglobin/blood and is severely neutropenic requiring isolation restrictions.  He received a blood transfusion today along with the ARA-C chemo which he will also receive at home Tues-Thurs this week via his port.  We return to the clinic on Thursday to check his counts again, as we expect for him to need another transfusion by that time.  We know we are in the home...
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We had an extremely long day at clinic on Monday, Jan. 25 - we spent a good ten hours at the clinic arriving at 6:45 am.  Oliver began the day with the standard bloodwork, then received a spinal tap with methotrexate, then received cyclophoshamide, cytarabine (ARA-C) and then 4 hours of fluids.  The fluids are to prevent irritation or blood clots in the bladder, a common side effect of the new chemo drugs.  Needless to say, he was wiped out on Monday.  He also starts a new drug, thiaguanine t...
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We took Oliver to clinic today, thankfully, he has the week off from IV chemo.  Surprisingly, his counts were very good - we are surprised because Oliver has been abnormally tired the past few days.  Some of the counts we know are not accurate because of the steriods and the doctors attribute his extreme fatigue possibly to just all of the chemo over the past few months finally catching up to him.  Oliver will get a short break from the steroids, his last dose is tonight - thank God.  He has ...

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We went to clinic yesterday for chemo treatment.  Oliver received vincristine and doxorubicin.  His counts are ok and doing what the doctors expect with the new drugs.  He resumes a very high dose of steroids this week so there are a few things we need to watch, but overall he is doing fine.  We are all just waiting to get through this last push of the delayed intensification.  He will receive a spinal tap in two weeks and start some very heavy new drugs at that time.  Thank you all for your ...

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Happy New Year everyone.  We are happy to be home and not have to spend New Year's day in the hospital.  Yesterday our waits at the clinic were longer than usual due to light staffing and holidays.  We waited three hours before Oliver received his shots of peg.  It was very hard to watch -his legs were shaking from fear of the shots but after about half an hour he was doing much better.  He had a minor reaction after the shots, so we had to stay for a little bit longer than the standard two h...
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Today, we started delayed intensification (DI), the most intensive phase before what they call long term maintenance chemo which lasts for 3 years. DI lasts 8 weeks and introduces various new drugs.  It was a long day at clinic today, but Oliver did extremely well with his port access, spinal tap, chemo and de-access.  He hardly cried and kept very still during the spinal tap and port access.  He received VCR and a new drug, doxorubicin.  He also starts a high dosage of dex pills tomorrow (st...
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Sorry for the delay in updates, we have been quite busy with work, doctor appointments and preparation for the holidays and new baby.  Oliver has had two clinic visits since the last post, one on November 30 and one yesterday, December 11.  On the November 30 visit Oliver received IV VCR and methotrexate via IV and a spinal injection/tap. Almost of all of Oliver's counts were "normal" at the November 30 visit - with "normal" meaning almost what you would expect for a healthy child without can...

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Hi everyone, sorry it has been a while since my last post.  We had a clinic visit yesterday (November 20) and one ten days prior (November 9).  Both visits were about the same - Oliver received VCR and Methotrexate through his port.  His counts were good at the November 9 visit so his dosage of Methotrexate was increased.  The visit yesterday, his ANC was down to 690, but was high enough for chemo, so he received the same dosages as November 9 with no increases.  We will just have to take the...
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Our clinic visit last Thursday (10/29) was a little more difficult than usual primarily from having the previous week free of clinic and in Oliver's mind that meant treatments were finished.  Needless to say, accessing Oliver's port did not go well despite the brave distraction efforts of the child specialist at TCH.  The psychiatric team from TCH observed the port getting accessed and is going to get back to us with some new ideas and strategies to help Oliver.  We are so thankful the hospit...

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Oliver's clinic visit went well this Thursday.  I was unable to attend as I had the stomach flu - it was very difficult not to go but Larry and Oliver seemed to do just fine.  This was the last spinal tap Oliver will receive for a while - we are thankful.  And, we actually get next week off - no clinic visits next week - yay!  No more chemo until 10/29 when we start a new phase - which means different drugs.  Starting new phases can be scary, we never know which side effects Oliver will have ...
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Just thought I would write a quick status update - not much new, we had our usual clinic visit on Thursday where Oliver received a spinal tap.  He is doing well and started to regain his energy.  He is back to wearing Larry and I out - which is welcomed.  His hair is thinning, a few bald spots, but not entirely gone.  Neither Larry nor I have it in us to cut it any shorter.  Oliver did pick out a NY Yankees hat, he got the idea from one of his favorite movies "Everyone's Hero", I am sure his ...

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Attached is the link for the blog entry covering the Harper & Pearson blood drive in honor of Oliver by Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center:

http://www.giveblood.org/blog/2009/10/mothers-saving-lives/
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Our clinic day was moved up this week to Thursday and going forward will be on Thursdays.  We like the change, it is less crowded and while there are still wait times, it is not as bad as Friday.  Oliver had his spinal tap performed at the clinic and did not even know the procedure was performed - he slept through the entire thing.  He is recovering well - what a huge difference from PACU.  He will have to start some physical therapy soon for his legs - nothing too serious, but a common side ...
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Today was a great day for all of us.  My firm sponsored a blood drive in honor of Oliver and 56 people were able to donate.  We are so thankful and overwhelmed by the support of everyone. While we are going through such a difficult time, God has truly given us the opportunity to see the very best in people.  And there are a lot of wonderful, compassionate people out there, for which we are grateful.  Larry and Oliver came by the office and Oliver held Larry's hand while he gave blood.  Oliver...
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We had a very long day at the clinic yesterday.  All days are long at the clinic -we arrive at the clinic close to 7:00 am and usually do not get out until 6:00-6:30 pm.  We are all just exhausted from the process.  Upon arriving at the clinic, we first have to access his port (which is involves a needle and is not fun), draw blood from the port, meet with clinic doctor, then receive chemo or have procedures performed in PACU depending on the day. Yesterday was a PACU day, which is similar to...

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We noticed a few extra hairs on Oliver’s shirt this week and generally his beautiful thick hair is slowly thinning out; it won’t be long before he loses all of his hair.  We realize, of all the side effects, this one is the most harmless and superficial, but we can’t help but feel sadness over this loss.  It serves as an outward expression of his illness – we know he is sick internally, and have noticed some changes in his appearance, but this one is a glaring indication of cancer.  T...

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There are no major updates, but I will write more when I get a chance.  As promised, for those interested, I have attached Oliver's treatment plan to the site in a pdf file. (I put comments in red to make it easier to understand.)  You should see the plan on the right hand column on this page below the "about me" section. 
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Today we had a lengthy consultation with Oliver’s doctor at Texas Children’s going over his program for treatment over the next 3 ½ years.  We received quite a bit of information – and at times suffered from information overload.  It seems easier to take this treatment day by day then to focus on the long term plans.  But we realize the big picture is important.  Generally speaking, we learned there is a 20% chance the cancer will come back – half of those 20% are able to get rid of ...

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We just received great news - there were no more blasts (cancer cells) in the marrow sampled on Saturday and Oliver's platelet and marrow levels are improving.  And...we get to leave the hospital tomorrow!!  The doctors just want to keep an eye on Oliver for one more day to make sure there are no more signs of infection and keep an eye on his sodium (still low).  Even though he is cancer free, his body and immune system have a lot of rebalancing to do from the cancer and chemo.  We will remai...

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Looks like we are in the hospital for another day or so.  Oliver’s electrolytes are starting to stabilize with help, but the doctors want to make sure he does not have what looks like signs of the beginning of an infection.  He just started triple antibiotics and they are keeping a close eye on him.  He is still in good spirits despite a rough morning of having to drink potassium medicine at midnight, lots of doctors in and out and bandage changes.
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After a very long 8 hour wait at the clinic yesterday, the doctors decided to admit Oliver into the hospital for the weekend.  He received his VCR chemo drug but they were unable to sedate him for the bone marrow aspiration because some of his blood work, mainly sodium, potassium and glucose were low.  After IVs and a blood transfusion, Oliver made his way into the OR this morning where they successfully performed the bone marrow aspiration.  The OR is typically closed on Saturdays, but they ...

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Sorry no posts over the long weekend, we were all catching up on our rest and enjoying our time away from the hospital.  We found out today we are expecting a girl in February.  Oliver is so happy, he has said all along he wants a baby sister.  He seems to be feeling ok and has quite an appetite.  We will keep everyone posted when we find out more information, which will most likely be Friday at our next clinic visit. 
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Sorry I did not write yesterday, it was a long day.  It was our first clinic visit and we really did not know what to expect.  Unfortunately, the clinic was having an off day and our wait time was extremely long - which is difficult when you have a four year old who cannot eat or drink anything.  The procedures and chemo were not long, and Oliver did not need a transfusion.  He is doing well.  He lost about 6 1/2 pounds since this whole ordeal, which is a lot.  His appetite though seems to be...

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Just a quick note, we made it out of the hospital this evening.  Will be back at clinic on Friday for a full day visit and second round of VCR, spinal tap/chemo, bone marrow aspriation.  We are all so happy to be home.
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We are still in the hospital...Oliver received platelet transfusion in middle of the night to give him an extra boost to come home today.  Oliver's platelets are up (67 - the highest since we have been here) and hemoglobin is fine.  However, uric acid and BUN elevated.  We are trying to get him to drink lots of water and retake bloodwork at 3pm.  If the levels come back down we will be discharged.  If not, maybe another night in the hospital.  We are all ready to go home!  The magic trick app...

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Oliver made huge progress today.  His platelets were at 30 and hemoglobin at 10 - so no transfusions two days in a row!  He is still severely neutropenic (can't fight any type of infection) so we have to take certain precautions, but this is expected given the cancer and chemo treatments. This afternoon, he took his "pill class" in his room.  At first, he was explaining to the instructor he could not take his pills because he was allergic to them.  He then said his mommy and daddy would not a...

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Today Oliver had his first full "normal" day.  We will have to redefine what we consider normal, but he was actually acting himself - playing and moving around, not wanting to stay in bed all day.  He really wants to get out of the hospital room and go for a ride around the floor in the red wagon.  However, we have to wait for some tests to come back to confirm he does not have any infection before we can take him out of the room.  They should be back tomorrow - we are hoping to be out of the...
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Platelets still low (17) received another transfusion today.  Was in good spirits all morning until afternoon and then started acting very strangely in afternoon– very restless as if nerves in his legs were twitching.  He said he wants to go home now.  Making progress on giving the oral medication, but it is still quite a struggle.  So hard to explain to a four year old what is going on – he does not understand the medicine is making him feel what he is feeling and he is scared.  Received...

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Oliver spiked a fever of 103.7 today – the doctors came in and ran a gamut of tests.  Fever broke shortly after receiving Tylenol.  This evening was acting strange, almost as if he had vertigo.  He received some blood pressure medication and the doctors took special precautions because he has very low ANC -160.  Also received blood and platelet transfusions – platelets at 16, blood 7.8 prior to transfusion.  He had lots more diarrhea and had to receive an EKG in the middle of the night be...

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Today we tried to take Oliver to a “pill” class, where they learn to take pills.  Oliver was really out of it from the chemo and fell asleep, so we are going to try again on Monday.  He received more chemo treatment and started having diarrhea.  He is still as sweet as ever and happy.  Blood pressure also still high. 

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Shortly after returning to the room from the OR, doctor confirmed Oliver has ALL.  This was “good” news as this type is the most treatable with the highest success rate (we have to find the good things and hold on them with all we have).  Oliver ate for the first time this morning since Tuesday afternoon.  He is in good spirits but has a strong aversion to oral medication.  We have been so impressed with the doctors and nurses at TCH – they are kind and patient and truly care about what...
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We met with Oliver’s doctors who explained generally what was happening and that they were certain Oliver had leukemia, but we needed to do a bone marrow aspiration to determine exactly which kind.  Before he could undergo these procedures, he had to have platelet transfusions.  In the early hours of the morning, Oliver had 2 platelet and 1 blood transfusion.  He was placed on three different types of antibiotics to fight/prevent infection.  They also indicated because of the number of b...

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