When I planned to compose this update I didn't think I'd have much to say. Aside from what we believe to have been a virus that he caught about a month ago (although the possibility of allergies has not been entirely ruled out), SD has been doing great. The virus progressed to the point that we feared another weekend trip to the emergency room, but his pediatrician said that his lungs sounded clear and recommended we just wait it out. He still has a bit of lingering congestion, but sounds much better than he did a few weeks ago.
This morning he woke up cheerful and had plenty of energy. He even talked to one of the nurses as she prepared to access him, which does not often happen! We expected clinic to be the usual 2 - 2 1/2 hour routine we've come to expect, after which we'd meet up with his Aunt Carmel and cousins from out of town for lunch and a trip to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. The last thing I expected to hear was that SD needed blood - but he did.
His primary oncologist was at the TC clinic with us and said that needing a blood transfusion during Maintenance is very unusual. She didn't have an answer as to why his red counts sometimes dip like this, nor how he can appear so healthy when he is that low on blood. But just like last time, even though he was active and perky before the transfusion, he grew more so during and after it.
The transfusion prevented us from going to the Dunes, but SD had lots of visitors to keep him company today! He was allowed to have both his Daddy and me, his Grandma Cleary and Aunt Carmel, and all four visiting cousins in his room. He seemed to really enjoy this new clinic experience. :)
His other counts were high enough that his oncologist said we didn't need to have them checked before his next appointment unless we were worried about how he's doing.
Even though this appointment started in disappointment, we did receive some exciting news on a matter we have always been in some doubt about. SD's oncologist and one of the nurses studied SD's chart to find out when he is scheduled to finish up with treatment, and concluded that he should be done in February! This is the earliest that we dared hope for, as the answer to this question changed depending on who we asked. Now instead of saying that he has about a year or a little more left of treatment, we can report that he has *only 9 months* remaining! It's starting to feel like an end is in sight!
