Day -2

Cameron has just finished his last dose of chemo for this round, thank goodness because it has really taken it's toll on him.  He has been experiencing severe nausea and diarrhea for the last couple of days and has been on IV nausea medications around the clock.  He has just about stopped eating and lost almost half a kilogram (1 pound) in a day, so the doctors have decided to start him on intravenous feeding.  Usually they would start with an NG feeding tube and feed him through that first due to the strain that the intravenous feeding can put on his liver.  However, with the amount that he is throwing up, it would be futile and traumatic to keep putting the feeding tube in every time he throws it up.  Hopefully this is a short term solution and he will start eating again once his counts recover.  He is also showing signs of mucositis (the ulceration of the digestive tract, stomach and mouth).  It can be VERY painful, but as usual, Cameron is being a trooper.  It breaks my heart to watch him getting so sick, especially after we have been home for so many weeks and he was doing so well.   

He has been so good about wearing his mask while he walks his laps around the nurses station, but even that is sometimes too much for him.  He is supposed to walk 10 laps a day, and some days he has only managed one before he is too tired and needs to go back to his room.  We have found other ways to get his exercise in and I'm letting him do as much as he can until he needs to rest again.  He LOVES weighing himself on the scale, so the nurses let him get on and off as many times as he likes, it's exercise and its very entertaining.  Another favorite game right now, is "throw the tissue in the trash".  We have gone through several boxes of tissues with this game, but it's another way of getting him out the bed and walking from one end of the room to the other and back again.

Thankfully the bathing every 6 hours is over!  He still gets bathed once a day in an oatmeal solution and then lathered up with thick lotion to protect his skin. 

Despite how crappy he feels, Cameron is as sweet and funny as ever.  He is such a happy little boy and I LOVE being able to spend so much time with him.  I recently quit smoking and I am so glad that I did - not only for his health but also because it has given me even more time with him each day.  We make everything we can into a game and laugh at each other constantly.  He teaches me so much everyday about how to be a better mommy, how to love and how to be brave!

I must say, as much as I am enjoying being here with Cameron, I am missing James so much.  He hasn't been feeling well at all and after throwing up for a few days, grandma took him to the pediatrician and we discovered that he has strep throat!  Strep is VERY contagious so both my mom and Frank had to be tested (they were both negative) and Cameron was treated with antibiotics as a precaution. Thank goodness James is on antibiotics now and should be fine by the weekend when I go home - I can't wait to snuggle with him!!

As promised, here are a few photos of Cameron and what we get up to here, never a dull moment....



Dr. Cam

Doing laps with his mask on!



Multi-tasking

Wearing his new Elmo pajama's!

Before we can give Cameron a bath he needs to have his central line covered in plastic zip-lock bags, so that the line doesn't get wet.  In case you couldn't tell by the bottom lip, he HATES it!