Cameron had a wonderful day at home, unfortunately it was a bit short lived.
Before we were discharged from the hospital, we were told multiple times that if Cameron started running a fever, we needed to head straight to the Emergancy Room because his white blood cell count was extremely low and a fever could indicate a blood infection - which could be fatal. So, after taking his temperature at least once an hour all day (Paranoid? Me? NEVER!), he finally spiked a fever at around 5pm. I immediately called the hospital and we were told to make our way over to the ER to have him evaluated.
Once we arrived, he immediately had blood drawn and was placed on antibiotics. We are still waiting for the results of the blood cultures to see if he does infact have an infection. He had another fever at around 5am today, so we won't be discharged until he has been fever free for at least 24 hours and his white blood cell count shows signs of improvement.
Luckily, Cameron is a real little trooper, he was very excited to go for a little walk this morning to see the turtles and fish and flirted with all the nurses on the ward, such a ladies man!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
We're Home!!
After 2 and a half loooonnnggg weeks in the hospital, Cameron was finally discharged yesterday!
He was so happy to be home and immediately found all his toys and started playing. Although the doctors said that it would be a number of weeks before he could walk again, Cameron proved them wrong once again! He was up and walking the moment we walked into the house. He is still a bit wobbly and sways like a little drunken sailor, but he is determined to walk around and rebuild the muscles that he hasn't used in a while.
He is eating really well too and enjoyed a bacon breakfast made by his granny this morning, followed by an entire smoothy, and best of all, he kept it all down!
Due to the chemo, his immune system is VERY low right now, so we kept James home from preschool today, just to be safe. James is in his element now that his brother is home and has even been sharing his favorite toys with Cameron.
We are so thrilled to have our little family all back under the same roof, even if it is just for a few days until Cameron's next chemo.
He was so happy to be home and immediately found all his toys and started playing. Although the doctors said that it would be a number of weeks before he could walk again, Cameron proved them wrong once again! He was up and walking the moment we walked into the house. He is still a bit wobbly and sways like a little drunken sailor, but he is determined to walk around and rebuild the muscles that he hasn't used in a while.
He is eating really well too and enjoyed a bacon breakfast made by his granny this morning, followed by an entire smoothy, and best of all, he kept it all down!
Due to the chemo, his immune system is VERY low right now, so we kept James home from preschool today, just to be safe. James is in his element now that his brother is home and has even been sharing his favorite toys with Cameron.
We are so thrilled to have our little family all back under the same roof, even if it is just for a few days until Cameron's next chemo.
Monday, September 26, 2011
A busy day
Today Cameron had an MRI of his brain and spine which thankfully came back clear. He had to fast from midnight until 5pm, so you can imagine how hungry the little guy was when he finally got back to his room, he downed a bottle of formula in no time, and fell asleep watching tv.
Nikki spent much of the day driving around Atlanta doing admin while Grandma oversaw the carpet cleaning which was graciously donated by Chemdry. James had a great day with his buddy Braiden. We finished off a busy day with a training session on Cameron's ongoing medical care - its a little intimidating.
As much as Cameron's medical team would like to see him come home tomorrow, they will only discharge him once they are 100% satisfied that his fevers are under control and that his home medications can be effectively administered and tolerated, so he may be here a little longer.
Our family has continued to receive such warm support from friends and neighbors, once again we thank you all.
Nikki spent much of the day driving around Atlanta doing admin while Grandma oversaw the carpet cleaning which was graciously donated by Chemdry. James had a great day with his buddy Braiden. We finished off a busy day with a training session on Cameron's ongoing medical care - its a little intimidating.
As much as Cameron's medical team would like to see him come home tomorrow, they will only discharge him once they are 100% satisfied that his fevers are under control and that his home medications can be effectively administered and tolerated, so he may be here a little longer.
Our family has continued to receive such warm support from friends and neighbors, once again we thank you all.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Cameron had a great night
Cameron finally had a good nights sleep. He slept through from 5pm last night through 8am this morning with only a few disruptions while his nurses took vitals and made sure he was comfortable. This is good news because it means that his pain is being controlled and presumably the chemotherapy is having an effect.
He finished his 5th day of chemo a few hours ago which is the end of cycle one, unfortunately he is still having fevers so needs to be closely monitored to make sure they are not infection related. If all goes well we hope to have him home on Tuesday.
Granma is doing a great job of supervising the preparations for his home coming - I dare any germ to try and get within a 100 yards of the house. The chemotherapy has suppressed Cameron's immune system considerably so we have to be super diligent about protecting him. A fever in his case is considered an emergency and will most likely require that he be brought in to the ER. Our training on how to manage his home care and health issues starts tommorrow.
We went for a wagon ride around the ward today just to get a change of scenery - Ted (his Teddy bear) came with and the nurses all got a good wave. The rest of the day has been devoted to episodes of Olivia.
Yay - a giant balloon has just arrived from the gift shop - let's see if it will lift Ted.
He finished his 5th day of chemo a few hours ago which is the end of cycle one, unfortunately he is still having fevers so needs to be closely monitored to make sure they are not infection related. If all goes well we hope to have him home on Tuesday.
Granma is doing a great job of supervising the preparations for his home coming - I dare any germ to try and get within a 100 yards of the house. The chemotherapy has suppressed Cameron's immune system considerably so we have to be super diligent about protecting him. A fever in his case is considered an emergency and will most likely require that he be brought in to the ER. Our training on how to manage his home care and health issues starts tommorrow.
We went for a wagon ride around the ward today just to get a change of scenery - Ted (his Teddy bear) came with and the nurses all got a good wave. The rest of the day has been devoted to episodes of Olivia.
Yay - a giant balloon has just arrived from the gift shop - let's see if it will lift Ted.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
An Explaination
We have been asked how this all happened and to be honest we are still in a daze and trying to understand it ourselves. We live in a fog of fear, confusion and denial and grab onto pieces of information and test results as they come to us. This is an effort to pass on what we know or at least what we think we know.
Three weeks ago Cameron started running a fever and so Nikki took him to see his pediatrician. The sad thing about this disease is that it's symptoms mimic a number of childhood illnesses like viruses, ear infections and the like. Cameron and James had started play school two days a week and we assumed he had caught something that he had not previously been exposed to. He was diagnosed as having a viral throat infection.
The following week, Nikki took him to a checkup at the ENT and Cameron had an ear infection. He was put on antibiotics and we continued to monitor him. His fever continued, and we continued to treat him symptomatically.
On Monday 12th Sep Nikki noticed that Cameron's eye looked slightly swollen, she took him back to see his pediatrician who sent him to the ER at CHOA where he was treated with intraveneous antibiotics and discharged on Wednesday. On Thursday morning his fever returned and he was not able to stand so he want back to his pediatrician and straight back to the ER.
An MRI of his pelvis indicated a severe bone infection so be began a regimen of powerful antibiotics. Further tests by CHOA found a tumor in his adrenal gland which combined with his symptoms led to the diagnosis of Neuroblastoma Cancer.
Since his initial diagnosis, Cameron has had several more CT scans and MRIs. The cancer appears to have spread to the bones in his scull, arms, legs, pelvis, ribs and vertabrae as well as to his bone marrow. Thankfully, it doesn't appear that any of his organs have been effected at this stage.
Cameron has started receiving chemotherapy and will complete a series of 6 chemos, a stem cell transplant and radiation.
Three weeks ago Cameron started running a fever and so Nikki took him to see his pediatrician. The sad thing about this disease is that it's symptoms mimic a number of childhood illnesses like viruses, ear infections and the like. Cameron and James had started play school two days a week and we assumed he had caught something that he had not previously been exposed to. He was diagnosed as having a viral throat infection.
The following week, Nikki took him to a checkup at the ENT and Cameron had an ear infection. He was put on antibiotics and we continued to monitor him. His fever continued, and we continued to treat him symptomatically.
On Monday 12th Sep Nikki noticed that Cameron's eye looked slightly swollen, she took him back to see his pediatrician who sent him to the ER at CHOA where he was treated with intraveneous antibiotics and discharged on Wednesday. On Thursday morning his fever returned and he was not able to stand so he want back to his pediatrician and straight back to the ER.
An MRI of his pelvis indicated a severe bone infection so be began a regimen of powerful antibiotics. Further tests by CHOA found a tumor in his adrenal gland which combined with his symptoms led to the diagnosis of Neuroblastoma Cancer.
Since his initial diagnosis, Cameron has had several more CT scans and MRIs. The cancer appears to have spread to the bones in his scull, arms, legs, pelvis, ribs and vertabrae as well as to his bone marrow. Thankfully, it doesn't appear that any of his organs have been effected at this stage.
Cameron has started receiving chemotherapy and will complete a series of 6 chemos, a stem cell transplant and radiation.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Friday pm update
Cameron has been comfortable for most of today, thanks to Mom insisting on him having a break from scans (and the associated sedation).He is now on day 3 of 5 of his first chemotherapy cycle and has had a related drop in blood count so is receiving a blood transfusion right now. Fortunately he seems to have found his appetite and demolished a bottle of formulae.
James and Grandma visited today, Jamie ran past Mom and gave Cameron the loudest "HI" that he could. They sat in Cameron's crib and watched an episode of Olivia together - for some reason Olivias dog seems to get the biggest cheers. James has no aversion to hospital food and was happy to help Cameron out.
Dad has taken the afternoon and night shift so Mom can get some rest.
Thank you to all of you who have been so generous and kind, we really appreciate every one of you that have reached out to support Cameron and our family.
James and Grandma visited today, Jamie ran past Mom and gave Cameron the loudest "HI" that he could. They sat in Cameron's crib and watched an episode of Olivia together - for some reason Olivias dog seems to get the biggest cheers. James has no aversion to hospital food and was happy to help Cameron out.
Dad has taken the afternoon and night shift so Mom can get some rest.
Thank you to all of you who have been so generous and kind, we really appreciate every one of you that have reached out to support Cameron and our family.
Donations
Several very generous people have asked us how they can make donations towards Cameron's medical costs. We have set up a special bank account at Wells Fargo Bank and checks made to Nicolette Durban-Jackson can be deposited into that account (or mailed to us if you prefer). We have also set up a Paypal account and if you click on the link on the right of the page, you can donate using your credit card (isn't technology amazing?).
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Cameron's Journey
On September 17, 2011, our darling son Cameron was diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroblastoma Cancer. A rare and aggressive childhood cancer that is usually only detected around 2 years of age, after the cancer has already caused considerable damage.
Frank and I wanted to find an easier way to keep all of our friends and family updated on Cameron's progress, so this is Cameron's journey in his battle against this disease.
Frank and I wanted to find an easier way to keep all of our friends and family updated on Cameron's progress, so this is Cameron's journey in his battle against this disease.
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