Check-up good -- continue the course

Monday, Conan had blood work and his second Avastin treatment at UIHC.  That night he started his second set of temodar (5 days, at home).

Blood work came back as expected, white blood count good, platelet count starting to dip a bit as chemo is hard on that mechanism.  All numbers good enough to start the second round of chemo.

The average for this regimen is six months.  And so that's the target they are shooting for now.

Henry started to really crawl the last couple weeks and is providing lots of giggles and love.

Chemo plan

Temodar (in pill form like before) starting now for 5 day cycles once every 4 weeks.  Not sure of the duration yet, but we'll see how things go.

And then in two weeks Conan will also start Avastin.  It will be given via IV once every 2 weeks at UIHC.  This is to interrupt blood supply to the tumor area.  It is used for other types of cancer but it's use for brain tumors is a newer treatment.  Again, not sure of the duration, but docs will monitor his ability to weather the drugs.

All of this feels deflating after being so pleased that the surgery went well, but it's all just part of the climb back to wellness.

Continued Recovery

Recovery is going well.  Conan proved me wrong and put in an appearance at his Soccer Camp on Thursday.

He is still on some meds to help reduce the brain swelling and they have some side effects: most annoying for Conan are weight gain and trouble sleeping.  He will start to taper off those soon though.

Next step will be the chemo plan.

Argus - July 15

Discharge

And here's what's waiting for them!

Eye exam went well.  Conan's vision had already improved some from Saturday.  I think the message they got was "of course you are having trouble seeing, you had people tramping around in your brain 3 days ago."

However, he hadn't had trouble before and the neurologist wanted to rule out any new problems, so I think they are glad it was checked. (Even though they had to wait a long time and missed lunch!)

Conan is being discharged later today.  They will stay at our special B & B in Iowa City tonight to rest up before returning home tomorrow.

Post-Surgery

Sunday, July 10:
9:00 pm: Conan took a shower this afternoon and put on shorts & a t-shirt instead of a hospital gown -- just one more step towards person and away from patient.
Right now, I'd say his condition is like someone that has a concussion.  He's mostly ok, but everything's not quite normal.  

2:00 pm: Doc was in early today, continued progress. Conan is scheduled for a complete eye exam and review tomorrow; he is having some trouble with his peripheral vision in his right eye.  Cognitive and neuro-motor assessments are not raising any big concerns. A discharge date is not yet set.

And if you didn't see a QC paper this weekend, they ran two short stories about Conan:
Friday Paper
Saturday Follow-Up (There were enough calls on Friday asking how surgery had gone that the reporter called looking for info)
The Friday article said he wanted to be at soccer camp this week;  I don't see that happening, but that's ok.

Saturday, July 9:
9:00 pm: Conan was able to eat something tonight and talked with Gretta more this afternoon.  He also had a short visit from Henry -- father & son enjoyed it!  Still lots of sleep and rest.

1:00 pm: Doc was in -- MRI looks normal too.  Second time around is just more traumatic to the brain, so recovery will take a little more time.  He sounds more like himself this afternoon, but sleep is still the king.

noon:  Conan is still very tired, sleeping more than he is awake.  He has had a CT and an MRI this morning.  The CT results came back normal and we are waiting to hear about the MRI.

He is taking some pain meds, but not a lot.  If you ask him, he says it hurts a little.  He has been out of bed a little bit, but mostly just wants to sleep.

Gretta is feeding Henry now, Conan is sleeping, more later.

Surgery Day

10:00 pm: The nausea continued most of the day and he slept more than he was awake.

2:30 pm: Parents, sisters, & Betsy have been in for short visits.  He is doing well but a little nauseous.

12:30 pm: He is in his room and Gretta & Henry are with him.

10:35 am: Just got a call.  Surgery done, Conan in recovery, responding to commands but pretty groggy.  Gretta will be able to see him in 30 to 40 minutes.
The surgery went as planned.  The tissue that was removed was about marble sized and appears to be all of it.  It will be sent to pathology for further analysis.

7:30 am: Conan just went back for surgery.  They have 7 hours set aside for him today.  Gretta & Conan got to the hospital at 5:30 this morning for his prep stuff.  I will post updates as I get them.

Surgery Scheduled for July 8

Waiting these last three weeks has been very tough, but getting the news they were hoping for was a huge relief.

Surgery will be Friday in Iowa City (time TBD).  The surgeon's plan is to remove the new growth and the remaining 'old' part.  Notes from September 2010 put the dead cell stuff at 5 mm x 5 mm x 5 mm (I looked at my tape measure!); in June 2011 it was 7 mm x 7 mm x 9 mm. This still seems pretty small and so we have hope that the surgeon will be able to execute his plan. (After all this isn't rocket science!)

Conan is expected to be in the hospital until Monday.  In August, he will meet with the oncologist to hear the chemo plan.

If you see Conan around town, ask him for a bracelet.  He is hauling around a box of brain cancer awareness bracelets: No One FIGHTS Alone!  All the support we are receiving from friends and family is appreciated and Conan knows he is not alone.  So continued thanks and appreciation for all your thoughts and prayers.

Cancer Sucks

The Dalton Family (Henry 7 mos.)

Conan's scan today revealed some small changes to the tumor.

The scan today was a standard checkup. As part of the regular checks, he sees both the oncologist and the radiation oncologist. They both recommended having the neurosurgeon review the MRI and Conan will meet with him on July 5 to discuss the best options.  This does feel like a punch in the gut, but the prognosis is still positive.

At first I wanted to stomp my feet and scream and yell, but that doesn't make it better.  This is disappointing and we had gotten use to a 'no change' headline, but we knew this day would probably come. It has been almost two and a half years since any chemo, so I am thankful to have had that long without any changes. Waiting will again be a tough part.  Conan and Gretta are scared, but strong in their resolve to always get the most out of life.

Picture from February 12, 2011 - almost 3 months old.

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.