4-27-09 Clinic Appt.

We went to CHLA for his regular Monday doctor's appt. & chemotherapy.

As usual, Chase was not happy to be in the hospital. He is a screamer. They changed the dressing of his PICC line, blood work & met with Dr. Freyer. He told us that his weakness is due to the Chemotheraphy. Also, stressed to us to keep him active and to try to give chase more protein & avoid salty foods. Dexamethasone caused his weight gain. Mostly to his face and stomach. He now has a round full face & round belly. This medicine makes him hungry all the time and crave for salty foods.

Another trip to the hospital this week

We just noticed that Chase is having a hard time walking. He is limping & does not want to walk at all. He would cry if you ask him to & would extend his arm for us to carry him instead. I called the hem/onc fellow on call and they want us to come in.

We went to the ER & had him checked. The ER took his vital signs & blood. The hematologist told us that there can be 2 reasons for this.
1. Sign of infection
2. Side effect of the Chemotheraphy - Vincristine or Decadron.

The hematologist checked his leg & hips for swelling & redness, the signs of probable infection. Everything was ok so they sent us home. We were at the ER for 4 hours today. Chase was crying hard just being in the hospital. We would tell the nurses Bye-bye.

4-22-09 day hospital appointment

Chase is still pale & weak. The hospital took blood for test. As expected, his hemoglobin count was lower. It is 6.9 compared to 7.7 last Monday. We were at the hospital for 4 hours today for the blood transfusion. Chase has more color when we left the hospital.

We already know that his Hemoglobin was low yesterday. But, the doctor decided not to give him transfusion to see if it will rise on its own. He became pale & lethargic today so we decided to give the clinic a call. They gave us an appointment for tomorrow and is scheduled for Blood transfusion.

We just finished the second clinic appointment at CHLA. We were there at 11:00 AM for our 12:00 chemotheraphy -Vincristine & a doctor's appt.

They also changed his dressing for PICC line. Chase was crying hysterrically that his nose bled a little bit.
His counts were also low. But, they did not give him transfusions to see if it will rise on its own.

Chase's new haircut!

We finally decided to cut Chase's hair today. I feel really bad because I love his long hair! The doctor already warned us about the increase of appetite. He was not kidding! Chase is always hungry. Look at the proof.

Chubby steriods cheeks.

It was the first Clinic Appointment today. Our appt. is at 6 AM & we made it on time. He is scheduled for Bone Marrow Aspirate & Lumbar Puncture with chemotherapy. He also has a doctor's appt. at 12:30 & another chemotherapy-vincristine after that.
When we got to the clinic, they first drew blood from his PICC line. We found out that his platelet count is only 7,000. So, he needed platelet transfusion prior to the procedure.

It's Chase's 8th day in the hospital. The day went pretty well. He also looked really good. This is the second day he did not have fever! He did not eat much. He only ate a few bites of cinnamon roll, again. We're still struggling on the oral medications. He took zantac, fluconazole, decadron & miralax.
Dr. Freyer came in to see him & said that we might go home tomorrow night after his chemotherapy. It will be injected in his thigh tomorrow. If everything goes well we can go home. Mixed feelings though. I am happy to be home with the family. But, scared that we are out of the hospital and away from immediate care, if necessary.

PICC LINE

Chase got his PICC line today. This will make blood draws so much easier.

First Bone Marrow aspiration & Lumbar Puncture

Chase is scheduled for Lumbar Puncture with Chemotheraphy & Bone Marrow Aspirate & Biopsy today. The night before, we had a conference with our doctor. He confirmed that Chase has Leukemia. He said that just based on his experience & by what he saw in his blood, he is now 100% sure of his diagnosis. So, He asked our permission to administer chemotheraphy while doing the LP.

A lumbar puncture or spinal tap is performed to see if there are cancer cells or an infection in the fluid around the brain and spinal cord. A test called a bone marrow aspirate is done to see if cells in the bone marrow are healthy. Bone marrow is the liquid/spongy part inside bone, where blood cells are made. For this test, a needle is placed in a bone (usually the hipbone) and a small amount of bone marrow is pulled into a syringe. While a bone marrow aspirate is performed to look at the blood cells in the bone marrow, a bone marrow biopsy is used to study an actual piece of the bone. It may be completed at the same time as a bone marrow aspirate.

Chase was not allowed to drink or eat anything after midnight. Chase was crying so hard in the morning because he wanted to drink his milk or water. While he was in surgery, we ( my mom, my 2 sisters & wenn ) waited anxiously in the waiting room. The procedure went well. We are just waiting for the result of his Biopsy to find out the kind of Leukemia.

Later that day, Dr. Baskin, the fellow, talked to us and said that the Biopsy showed the Leukemia cells & they confirmed that he has ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (ALL).

First Day at the hospital

We got to our room (413A East) at around 8PM last night after a long afternoon in the ER. The resident Pediatrician first asked us to describe Chase's health history prior to today. I knew it was going to be a long night. Chase still has high fever. They gave him some Tylenol, Antibiotic thru IV. They also gave him blood transfusion twice. Four hours per transfusion so we were awake almost all night. Nurses came in and out of our room.

Dr. Huang, his pediatrician, called me. He said that he received the results and asked me if they said anything yet. I told him that they said that it might be leukemia or might just be an infection. They cannot tell until he has a bone marrow biopsy. He was straight forward and told me that based on what he saw on results, it is leukemia. Also mentioned to me that they put us in the 4th floor east, which is the oncology floor.

Background Story

Chase began to feel sick about 2 weeks from the date he was diagnosed with Leukemia. It all started on March 15, where Chase fell & had a concussion on his head. He cried so hard that he held his breath and made him unconscious for a minute. We were terrified. He fell asleep right after so we decided not to bring him to the ER that night. We took him to see his pediatrician the next day for a check-up. They said that the bumps on his head were healing fine & it was a breath holding spell that made him unconscious.
Chase got sick a few days after. We thought it was because of the fall. He became pale & showed signs of fatigue. His body temperature also seemed higher than normal but he did not get the fever until March 28. His fever would run from 100 -104 & would not go down. We took him to see his doctor on March 30 and our main concern was a head injury. The doctor ordered a CT scan. We went home relieved that he'll get a CT scan. From then on, his fever is not going down. We decided to take him back to the doctor on April 1st. By mid-day, we noticed some pin point red spots on his face but it was not a major concern for us at that time. However, the doctor thought otherwise. He said that it can be a sign of an illness & it is time to go to the hospital. The red spots are called Petechiae. He gave us a note for the ER & spoke with one of the doctors & told us that they are expecting us. He also mentioned before we left that he wants to be straight forward that it is also a symptom of LEUKEMIA.
At Children's Hospital, they took a lot of blood for testing & gave him some fluids thru IV a few minutes after. They also asked me for the complete background & symptoms. Chase was crying hysterically. We waited in the room hoping to go home that night. Until the ER doctor came in & told us that he will be admitted & that it might be Leukemia. I was shocked & devastated but still hoping that it is just an infection.