So, today starts the next phase of treatment. It is called Consolidation. It lasts for 28 days. They say for the little kids that it is not that bad of a phase…. although I guess it is all how you look at it. He gets 3 spinal taps this month where they inject the chemo into the spinal fluid. That means that he has to be sedated every week for 3 weeks. Today was the first of those 3. He had to fast for 8 hours prior, and our appointment wasn’t until 12:30 pm today. That made for a crabby little boy by the time we got there and they wanted to start poking and prodding.
He did awesome, and went out relatively easy. The Anesthesiologist is great… he is a really nice guy, patient, and completely on top of things at all times. He is so good with the kids. Owen wasn’t out for too long, but they make him lay on his back for 30 minutes once he comes out of the sedation so that he doesn’t get a headache. This was not making him happy, as all he wanted to do was eat and go home.
The rest of today he did really good. He slept for the car ride home, but then once here, he was pretty active. Cooking up a storm in his kitchen and singing some songs on his microphone. He got a special visit this evening from a neighbor boy whom has been clear of Leukemia for 2 years now. He was diagnosed in high school and has just graduated Penn State. It was so nice of him to stop by and give Owen some words of encouragement. Owen was being shy, but he definitely appreciated the visit. What a nice kid, and he has such a positive outlook on life. I am sure when you go through what they do, you really appreciate everything a whole lot more.
by evanshou