9:00 a.m.  Bennett’s ANC is ……. from 120 to 312!  WOW!  White blood cells went from 1.0 to 1.2! Neutrophils from 12 to 26!  I love it when he proves me wrong!  Hemoglobin went from 9.6 to 9.4.  Platelets did go down from 51 to 39.  Bennett is doing better.  No fever last night!  He ate some cereal late last night too.  Nurse did a blood test to see what level of vancomycin is in his blood at 2 a.m.  The vancomycin can hurt your kidney’s so they want to make sure his body isn’t holding on to the med too long.  Another concern to add to our prayers.

*2:30 p.m. Bennett’s temp has been at 99.1 for the last several hours.  The Dr.’s don’t consider this a temp but I do because his normal temp is closer to 97.  The level of vancomycin in his blood was a little high so they have changed his dose to every 12 hours instead of 8. The first culture after 48 hours was negative. We should receive 2nd culture results tomorrow.

The Dr. has indicated that we can go home if he continues to not have a temp higher than 100.5, cultures continue to come back negative and when ANC is around 500.  Today his ANC was 312.  Next blood test will be in the morning so we possibly could go home Saturday or Sunday. 

*8:30 p.m.  Bennett’s temperature is 99.7. Hmmmm…….     He only ate 1/2 pop tart this morning and that’s all he has had today to eat.  He still has his two mouth sores and they look pretty deep/sore.  He has been using biotene and magic wash to help. He has been awake most of the day but has just laid in bed and watched T.V. 

Thank you for your prayers, comments and love. 

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 

8:00 a.m. Today is the 13 month anniversary of this long life experience.

Bennett had a fever of 101.5 at midnight. They started him on another antibiotic – vancomycin.  He ended up getting “red man” which is a common side effect of this antibiotic. His skin turned red and was itchy. He got benadryl.  He will still receive the other antibiotic merophenum too.  His fever now is 101.1.  At 3:30 a.m., we got a roommate so Bennett didn’t get much sleep last night.

*10:00 a.m. Bennett’s ANC went from 87 to 120. I don’t count on it to keep going up.  His white blood count went down from 1.4 to 1.0. His neutrophils went from 5 to 12 creating the higher anc today. His hemoglobin went from 10.5 to 9.6. Platelets went from 21 to 51 with the platelet transfusion he received last night.  He is still asleep.

*2:30 p.m. Bennett’s fever is 101.7. His nurse just took another set of blood cultures. They do this if you are still running a fever after 24 hours of being on antibiotics. We haven’t heard any pre-liminary results of yesterday’s cultures yet.  He was given Tylenol.  Bennett got benadryl at the same time they gave him his dose of vancomycin. He got red again and really itched.  The next time he gets this (every 6 hours), they will run it through the iv in 2 hour time frame (hoping this will keep him from having an allergic re-action to it.)  He just woke up for the day just a few minutes ago.  The benadryl sure knocks him out. He doesn’t want anything to eat or drink. He is watching the NCAA basketball games. 

*10:00 p.m. Bennett’s temp is normal. We are hoping the fever broke late afternoon because he became really sweaty. The pre-liminary blood cultures from the first draw were negative.  He did not break out with the last vancomycin dose with benadryl over a 2 hour iv drip. Yeah!  He ate a few bites for dinner which was his only meal for the day. Anxiously waiting for next CBC test in the morning to see what his counts do.

Thank you for uplifting Bennett to our Almighty Savior! Happy first day of Spring! 

4:00 p.m.  Bennett has been admitted to SLCH. This morning he had pretty bad leg/back pain and had the chills.  I called the nurse concerned because he wasn’t feeling well.  At 10:50, the nurse was telling me to bring him to the clinic and by 1:00 we were there.  Thank God for safe travels.

Bennett’s temp was 102.2 when we arrived.  He did not feel warm so we were surprised with the high temp.  Because of the temp, he is automatically admitted to the hospital and blood cultures were ran.  They will test for virus, fungal infections, etc. They gave him Tylenol for the temp and at 3:30, his temp went down to 101.1. 

They started him on an antiobitic meropenem which he will get until the cultures come back negative. He will get this every 8 hours.  He also is on iv fluids.  He has drank Gatorade today but hasn’t really ate anything.  I asked for the continued zofran (anti-nausea) that I had been giving him which has kept him from getting nauseated. He will get this every 6 hours.   

His leg/back pain was an 8 (from scale from 1 to 10).  The Dr. ordered morphine and Bennett wanted it because of the pain. He says it is much better.  They think the pain is from the vincristine chemo he got yesterday.

They did a CBC test.  His ANC went from 297 to 84. Yep, only 84.  Hemoglobin is good at 10.5 with the two transfusions yesterday.  His platelets though only went up from 18 to 21 and he had a platelet transfusion yesterday.

Great News!  We are on 9west with all of our nurse friends!  We also have the B side by the window which gives me a place to sleep plus a desk.   So far, we don’t have a room mate either.  These things we are so thankful for, it does really make the stay easier.   

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8:30 p.m.  Bennett received a platelet transfusion this evening.  His temp is normal.  His leg/back pain is much better and he hasn’t needed anymore morphine.  He has had the chills though.

So far, none of his symptoms was related to the allergic re-action to the blood transfusions yesterday. We don’t know what caused the fever earlier; praying for negative cultures.  It may be just from him being neutropenia (no wbc or anc). Previously when he hadthe chemo Arac, he was hospitalized for low anc and fever. We figured it was a matter of time but was surprised that it was so soon but he did have cranial radiation this time too.

We just went down to the cafeteria and he picked out a few things to eat. This is the first time today, he has tired to eat. He only ate a few bites.

Thank for your prayers.

“Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

What a day! The weather is great, if you are a fish! We left at 6:30 a.m. and got home at 8:00 p.m. to/from the hospital. It was pretty foggy, rainy, and lot’s of traffic this morning and this evening which added about 30 minutes each way. A lot of water was on the roads and several cars were stopped on the interstate.

Things were going pretty good at the clinic just took a lot of time. Bennett received the platelet transfusion first. Than he got the PEG chemo which he always does really well with these horrible shots in his legs. The great news is that he shouldn’t have to do these shots anymore!! We waited an hour to make sure he didn’t have a re-action to the shots and he didn’t. He received the iv push of vincristine. And than they started the two blood transfusions.

About 30 minutes left of the last transfusion, Bennett started a cough. After questioning him, he indicated his throat tickled and felt scratchy. This is an allergic re-action to the new blood. The nurse and Dr. checked his breathing, pulse rate, temperature, and blood pressure again; they were all good. The Dr. ordered for him to have benadryl by iv to stop the allergic re-action which takes about 30 minutes to administer. After 15 minutes of it, Bennett already stopped the cough! Now, if Bennett has to have any more blood transfusions, he will be pre-mediated with benadryl since he had this allergic re-action. We thank God that this was caught early and treated quickly while we were still at the hospital because it would of probably of gotten worse and been more severe.

The benadryl made him very sleepy. He made a pal-at in the back of the car and slept all the way home. I will be keeping a close eye on him tonight/tomorrow and praying that he doesn’t have anymore allergic re-actions from the blood transfusions.

“As for me I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought and plans for me. You are my help and my deliverer. O my God, do not tarry!” Psalm 40:17

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Bennett’s counts crashed!

Bennett’s ANC dropped from 874 to 297. We expected them to drop but not this low so soon. He is now in a critical stage since his white blood count is only 0.9. and his ANC is below 500. Normal wbc range is 4.0 to 10.5. Your prayers are needed that he doesn’t get a fever or infection. It’s time again to sanitize the house daily, wear a mask and avoid crowds.

Bennett’s hemoglobin has dropped from 8.6 to 7.7. Normal range is 12.6 to 16.1. He will be receiving 2 pints of blood tomorrow. Also, his platelets dropped from 67 to 18. Normal range is 150 to 450. These need to be be at least 50 for his PEG shots so he will be receiving a platelet transfusion tomorrow as well. Please pray that the transfusions go well. Since his ANC is so low, there is a chance he could get a fever because of his body re-acting to all of this new blood. If he does, he will be automatically admitted to the hospital.

Besides the PEG shots (three shots in his leg muscles) he will also be getting an iv push of the chemo vincristine. We have a very long day tomorrow with the 3 transfusions and than we have to wait an hour after the PEG shots to make sure he doesn’t have any re-actions to the shots. We expect it will be a 7 to 8 hours at the hospital and a 4 hour drive.

Bennett is doing good, Praises to God! He ate a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner. His mouth sore is bothering him more and now he has another one on the right side.

Unfortunately or Fortunately the side effects have started affecting Bennett. This is good news though, that the chemo is killing the good cells and hopefully is getting all the bad ones too. It’s doing it’s job again but it sure makes it scary at times. With your prayers, God’s love, and Bennett’s strength; we will make it!

“My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips when I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the night watches. For you have been my help.” Psalm 63:5-7

We had an uneventful, relaxing and adjusting weekend! Bennett is still feeling the same. He is still eating good and his energy level is actually pretty good considering.

We stayed home all weekend just enjoying each others company and I think we were all exhausted. We did get out today and went to church.

Bennett’s mouth sore is back and is bothering him. He has indention’s all across his bottom lip where his braces touch his lip. He has started taking vitamin C pills twice a day, hopefully this will help. So far, it hasn’t slowed down his eating.

We go in the morning to our local hospital for blood test to check counts. His ANC four days ago was 864 and we expect it to go down so he will not being going to school.    Than on Tuesday, he has a clinic appt for chemotherapy.

“Through him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify his name.” Hebrews 13:15

We are so glad to be home! We had a good day. Bennett received his last dose of AraC today!!  He shouldn’t have to take this chemo drug anymore!  Hip! Hip! Hooray!

Bennett said today that the smallest things amuse him and he is exactly right. On our way home, he just looked out the window enjoying every minute. He made comments of several things that he liked this week in St Louis. He enjoyed the geese mostly that we saw everyday.

One night when we got back to the Haven House, we just sat in the car and watched all the cars go by on Olive Blvd.  He said he saw more expensive cars this week than he has seen in his life, he thought that was pretty cool!

He was amused on the way home, that most of the cars we saw were from Missouri not Illinois. He has become so observant.

He always looks for wildlife while we are on the road. He usually counts of how many deer, ducks, and geese he sees. It was a beautiful sunny day in St Louis and we was glad that sun was out at home too.

Bennett is feeling good. He is still eating well and hasn’t mentioned any problems. He is still taking anti-nausea medicine every 6 hours and I know this has really helped. He played basketball tonight with the boys outside. I thought he might take a nap but didn’t.

We thank God for two good weeks in St Louis with Bennett’s daily treatments. The big test will be in a couple days/weeks when his counts drop. Thank you for your comments, prayers, love and support; we greatly appreciate them!

“Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” Psalm 118:15

Cranial radiation is done!  Amen!  Thank you to God for watching over Bennett!  Below is a pic of one of the radiation nurses holding Bennett’s radiation mask and congratulating him on finishing the treatments.  They gave him the mask to bring home.    He has one more dose of  AraC tomorrow at the clinic and than we are on our way home!

He had a blood test today to check counts. His ANC dropped to 864 from 1,065 in just two days.  His platelets also dropped to 67 from 114.  His hemoglobin stayed the same at 8.6.  We will check counts again on Monday at our local hospital. His nurse thinks that he will probably need a platelet transfusion when we come back on Tuesday.  On Tuesday, he will have an iv push of vincristine and the PEG shots in his legs.  His platelets have to be at 50 before they give the shots. He has two more weeks with treatment on Tuesday’s of this phase.

Today, he was pretty tired.   We went to Union Station and saw the fish. (pic below).  We ate at Hard Rock Cafe.  He felt nauseated and didn’t eat very well. We drove around down town just looking at everything.  He did eat some popcorn at the movies, we went and saw 10,000 B.C.

Thank you for the uplifting prayers!  It is so satisfying to have these two weeks almost behind us!

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“I pray that you may be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God may have the richest measure of the divine presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God himself!”  Ephesians 3:19

Bennett had a busy day. We went early this morning for his 2 appts for radiation and  chemo, both went good.  It’s really beautiful in the morning. We have watched the sun rise the last two days.  Also, there is so many geese in this area.  We see several flying around and some must stay close by because we always see them in the yard at the Haven House.

He wanted to go to Bass Pro Shop, he barely made it out alive! LOL (below is a pic of him and a bear that was there).  While we were in St Charles, we went down to the historic downtown area.  He didn’t want to go in to any of the shops so we just drove around.  There is a big statue of Lewis and Clark right by the Missouri river so he got his history in for the day!

We went to the movies this afternoon to see College Road Trip and The Bank Job. They were pretty good.  He was a little tired but managed to stay awake during the movies.  He has done some homework and is also playing xbox.

Thank you for the prayers, comments, love and support!  It would be Great if Bennett could continue to feel this way for several more days!

Bennett’s ANC today was 1,065!!  yeah!   His hemoglobin did drop from 10.8 to 8.6. His platelets went from 204 to 114. Everything has dropped but not too low  for a blood transfusion. 

Bennett weighed 120 gaining 3 pounds from last week! He is eating and feeling well!  He woke up around 7:00 a.m.  He was pretty tired this morning but made it.  He took a long nap today from about 12:30 to 4:30.  I got a lot of bank work done.

When he got up from his nap, he was ready to eat.  He had spinach and vinegar along with 2 hotdogs.  He must of been craving this stuff yesterday because this is what he wanted when we stopped at the grocery store. I fixed it in the kitchen at the Haven House. Boy, did the spinach stink up the place! LOL

We have stayed in this evening watching CSI episodes on DVD.  We both really like the show and it sure takes your mind away from everything. 

His acne on his face that has been aggravating him is finally looking better.  This was side effect of the steroid and seemed like it took a while to get out of his system.

Everything went good today with his cranial radiation and the AraC chemo.  Same time tomorrow; radiation appt at 8:20 and than chemo appt after that.   Below is a pic of him with the radiation equipment.  The nurses and I have to go out and a metal door shuts behind us. They have music playing but Bennett is all alone while the radiation beams are going into his brain.  We are so thankful the treatments only last a few minutes.  He only has 2 radiation treatments left!

“Show your marvelous loving-kindess, O you who save by your right hand those who trust and take refuge in you from those who rise up against them.  Keep and guard me as the pupil of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 17:7-8