It's hard to believe such a long time has gone by without an update from us! Sorry we've gotten so behind!
First, a quick followup from our last update: we took SD back that Thursday (July 12th), and his counts were great - easily enough to take the rest of his chemo.
SD really enjoyed playing Mario Power Tennis this time. He's noticed that game on previous visits, but this time he spent quite a while playing it with Mommy!
Our clinic visit went very smoothly. SD's counts were high enough to get all the chemo he needed to finish this phase, so on our next visit he will start maintenance!
As a reminder, maintenance is about three years long with monthly clinic visits. Also, we will be able to go to Traverse City for most of those visits; our trips to Grand Rapids will go down to once every three months. This will help with the gas expense!
During maintenance, SD will receive IV chemo once a month (Traverse City and Grand Rapids), IT chemo once every three months (Grand Rapids only), and oral chemo every day (at home). The maintenance phase lasts about three years for boys, so - Lord willing - SD will be done with chemo right around his sixth birthday.
We are excited about this milestone in his treatment! Big thanks to everyone who has helped him get to this point - God bless you!
I'm glad his counts have been so good! I do have a question, though--is the maintenance phase different for girls?
ReplyDeleteYes; maintenance for girls is shorter. For some reason, boys need a longer duration of chemo for this kind of cancer.
DeleteScientists have yet to discover why this is.
Not fun, but definitely interesting.
DeleteSo thrilled that SD is ready for maintenance! Praying all will go well without any surprises!
ReplyDelete