Good scan Today

Conan's check at UIHC went well today -- "come see us again in 4 months." It's getting to be boring -- and we love boring!

Henry is 10 weeks old today, weighs over 10 lbs and is getting cuter by the minute!

Conan Henry James Dalton

Arrived November 15 at 3:58 pm, weighing in at 5 lbs., 9 oz. and 18.5 inches long!!!

(the picture is me holding him, but I will upload some with his parents when I get a chance.)

There may be corrections, but here is how Monday went:

Gretta wasn't feeling well, but in an unspecific way and called her mom shortly before 1:00 pm to cancel a planned trip to get a bassinet and some other things purchased. At 2:00, she got on the phone with the doctor's office and by 3:00 was in an examining room.

While waiting for the doctor, Conan told Gretta she was in labor, but she pooh-poohed that idea. When the doctor examined her, and said "dilated to 6 cm" and "oh, he just kicked me", Gretta just laughed hysterically.

Gretta was moved from the doctor's office to the birth center, and because Henry was breech, the call for an OR and a C-Section was made. He arrived at 3:58 pm, looking very fine.

He was monitored more closely than a full term baby for the first 12 to 18 hours, but needed no additional oxygen or IV intervention.

By the time he was 12 hours old, he was nursing.

Gretta is doing well too. Obviously the C-section is more invasive than we would like, and will slow her recovery, but a healthy baby was the goal.

We are all so happy he has arrived safely and in good health. He weighs about a half pound more than we expected and he has surpassed some of the medical expectations given his gestational age.

It took a lot to get him here and his parents are over the moon with happiness.

Good Report

No change in Conan's scan yesterday at UIHC. And instead of returning in 3 months, he doesn't need a scan for 4 months!

The big change in his life is that Gretta is 26 weeks pregnant (due date Dec. 25) and on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. (Bed rest began on August 18 when she went into pre-term labor.) Gretta claims she was born for this and is doing well. She has a Skype account set up and is taking appointments for virtual visits and personal visits!

Happy Birthday Gretta!

And another 'no change' scan today.

(Slight delay past the 3-month window, but continued good reports from Iowa City.)

No Change!

Everything we had hoped for: no change in the tumor.

Conan did get a referral to an ENT to look into all his sinus problems some more :)

This was Conan's 50th visit to UIHC. (I'm not sure who was doing the counting!)

Scan again in 3 months.

Doc Very Happy

Gretta & Conan were in Iowa City today for his check-up:

"The doctor was very happy -- the scan looked good." No change, and it's been 10 months since any chemo.

So even though Iowa and Michigan lost this weekend :( good news on the cancer front.

Someone gave Conan a t-shirt over the summer that says Cancer Sucks. I have never liked using the word suck that way, but in this case I like it. So for another 3 months until his next scan, take that cancer -- we are still winning!

P.S. If he continues to get good results, scans will continue every three months for 2 yrs and then the schedule will lengthen.

Today's Scan -- No Change!!!!!

After more than 6 months without chemo, the tumor is still not trying to grow.

In Gretta's text to me she said, "I, the untrained radiologist, thought it was a little smaller." While that may be wishful thinking, the fact is Conan is doing great!!!

Unless there are changes in how Conan feels, a scan again in three months.

Good News

There were big delays today at University Hospital & Clinics, so they only saw 2 of the 3 doctors.

The radiologist will still review the films, but the other two saw no change in the tumor.

So unless Conan has symptoms or there are noticeable changes in the tumor size, they will not re-start any chemo.

Scan again in 3 months. (And we will all get nervous again then!)

Scan Today - No More Chemo

Great news, no more chemo!!!!

The tumor is smaller and the inflammation is further reduced. Gretta & Conan again reviewed the MRI images and could see where there was improvement. At each visit, its not just the tumor the doctors look at but also that the swelling in the brain is going down.

Conan feels good and the doctors are pleased with his progress. The plan is to re-check in 3 months. What they see at that time will determine the next course. He may not need to start chemo again if the tumor remains unchanged. As always, if he has any problems, the situation will be re-evaluated.

Conan is ecstatic to have reached this point. He didn't feel great, but he responded well to the medication, and it worked well to shrink the tumor.

Good Check-up

Today's check went well, Round 6 of chemo will begin on Monday, January 6. About 6 weeks later, another MRI will be done and the next piece of the plan put into place.

Round 5

Treatments are continuing as planned, so tonight is the last night of round 5.

The 5 days of Temodar do make Conan very tired. He also feels a bit nauseous, so he doesn't want to eat. And its hard to not feel tired when you aren't eating well. But by the middle of next week, we will expect him to start to come around again.

Mini-Vacation

Gretta & Conan came to Minnesota for 5 days as a post-chemo break.

Last dose of round 4 was Friday, Nov. 14. Saturday morning they headed to Iowa City: Gretta went to the football game and Conan slept at Jennifer's house. That night they drove north with Mike & I.

Conan slept or rested most of Sunday & Monday, but Gretta & I did a little shopping and made some Christmas treats. Wednesday we ran up to Minneapolis for a Timberwolves game.

I think they had a nice break from their routine. Conan isn't always sleeping well and he tends to drop a few pounds during the chemo, but he continues to amaze me with his overall healthiness throughout this process.

Further Shrinkage

The oncologist is pleased with the progress.

Gretta & Conan looked at the scans from today (they hadn't done that last time) and the oncologist pointed out where part of the tumor was removed during surgery, and what has shrunk since August's scan.

There is a chance chemo might extend past the original plan of January, but that will be addressed later.

Blood numbers were also good, so chemo starts again tonight.

Numbers up . . .

Chemo starts tonight; blood counts were better so he can start again.

He was more worn out after round 2 than after round 1, so they expect him to be a little more tired this time around, but he is tolerating the meds well.

Round 3 will wait until next week

Conan had blood work today and his platelet count was low, so the oncologist is delaying the next round of chemo for a week.

A low platelet count is a common side effect of chemotherapy. Chemo works by destroying cells that grow rapidly; cells in the bone marrow that generate platelets grow rapidly and so are at risk. There are drugs that can be used to help increase the platelet count, and that might be necessary for later months.

He has been rather fatigued the last couple of weeks, and the low platelets are likely part of the cause. His stomach is better, though still not to pre-cancer comfort levels.

Continue to keep Gretta & Conan in your prayers. We have watched them stand strong against many onslaughts. They have been very fortunate in Conan's ability to withstand his treatments: he has not been hospitalized at all since his surgery.

Derelict Blogger!

I haven't reported much lately, in part because there haven't been many changes recently.

Conan's blood work was good on Monday, so round 2 of chemo began on Tuesday.

His biggest complaint remains his stomach discomfort. He had an abdominal CT performed: it confirmed that his stomach is completely full of air, but no reason was found. He started a different med for his stomach, and got some reduction in his discomfort, but they are still looking for more relief.

First 5-Day Round Completed

The first of 6 planned sets of high dose Temodar treatments are complete. Conan again responded well, with no bouts of nausea. He started boys soccer practices this week in the midst of treatments and didn't miss a one! There will be some blood tests in the next three weeks to watch for and avoid infection.

We held a graveside service for Isabella yesterday. We miss her. Gretta has a follow-up appointment with her doctor this week and that will determine when she goes back to work.

Progress

Conan's appointments went well today. The tumor is smaller and is not pressing on his brain as much as before. He will have another scan in 2 to 3 months, and the doctors fully expect the tumor to continue shrinking.

He is to start the 6 4-week rotations of high dose temador tomorrow. It will still be in a pill form, and he can take it at home. The higher dosage will cause greater side effects (nausea among others).

Unfortunately our joy at a positive progress report was lost in our grief. Gretta went into premature labor on Friday. Their daughter Isabella Rose was stillborn on Sunday morning at 2:38 am. She weighed 8.5 ounces and was 8.75 inches long. Gretta & Conan were able to hold her and there was a short naming ceremony with a baptism. Physically, Gretta is healing well, and came home from the hospital Sunday afternoon. They have not finalized plans, but a short service will be held at the cemetery.

Straight Line Winds

Short update:

Monday morning (July 21) straight line winds knocked out the electricity for much of the Illinois Quad-Cities and surrounding area. Of course, Gretta & Conan lost power. Today (Friday, the 25) their house is one of about 8000 in Rock Island still without power. So if you sent an e-mail or tried to leave a message at the house, you will have to wait a bit longer for a response.

Conan is feeling well. He ran a soccer camp this month and took a short trip to Texas with a friend.

Gretta & the baby are doing well too. Gretta's clothes are getting a little snug, and the nausea she experienced has subsided.

PS: Power was restored on Saturday afternoon.

Some answers . . .

The radiation was scheduled for 34 treatments. And those 34 treatments are complete. It's neither good nor bad, it just is the step in the journey.

If you've ever watched a sci-fi movie about nuclear energy or nuclear war, you know that exposure to excess radiation damages cells. The radiation oncologist (and this is true of any cancer that receives radiation therapy) tries to harness that power to target malignant cells and at the same time reduce damage to healthy tissue. That's why Conan had to keep still during treatments. But its also why there is a point at which more radiation will do more harm than good.

As to the chemotherapy hiatus, by studying other patients through the ages, pharmaceutical companies establish patterns for distributing their medicines. The current protocol for Temodar is to treat with a low dose during radiation therapy and then increase the dose as I explained in my last post.