Still Being a Teen

Most parents will be able to relate to this post I am sure. Most teenagers do not understand the importance of keeping in touch with their parents when they are not at home. Even though we say "call me" that tends to get lost in the shuffle and the teens get caught up in their activity and mom and dad are the last thing on their minds.

When this happens, teenagers should understand that their parents are sitting there waiting and having these horrible visions run through their minds of their child being involved in an accident, or laying in a jail cell or worse. My mother was always afraid of things and always told me to make sure I had on clean underwear before leaving...in case something like that happened.

Most times, when a teen doesn't call in, one of these events have not taken place, it's just the fact that the teen really is not interested in stopping what he/she is doing to check in with the parents.

Well imagine if you will this scenario happening with Adam at this current time in his life. As parents we are focused on getting him better and making sure that he is doing everything he needs to do to make that happen. At the same time we don't want to muffle his teen experience and we want him to maintain his relationships even though he has cancer. It has been made very clear to us from all the experts that it is important to allow Adam to continue leading as normal as a life as possible.

I guess that means not calling when he is out with friends.

His mother began to get worried as she had not heard for him in some time, and of course his cell phone was left at home.

As a parent, panic sets in. Visions of horrible things begin to move across our minds. We try to remember..."Did he put on clean underwear??" Then they come home.

It is very difficult for us to remember that Adam is still a teenager, with all those teenage emotions, feelings and confusions. He also still needs his freedom and independence to continue to find out who he is and who he will become. Even though he is dealing with a disease that has changed all of our lives, it is not changed the fact that he is still a teenager.

So did he get in trouble for not checking in with mom?

He said he did, but I doubt it was as bad as he made it out to be. I mean, he is still a teenager.

1/3 of the Way

Well, chemo session #3 is completed. Two days in and back home. So far Adam seems to be tolerating the new drugs very well, but the real test comes later in the week and once we see his labs. So far though his counts have been good and there is no reason to think that this new set of drugs are going to cause him to react any differently.

We met with the radiation doctors and they explained what type of treatments they will be administering once the chemo is completed. He will have 2-3 weeks of radiation, every day, Monday thru Friday, for about 15 minutes each day. Now he will not actually be under the radiation for that amount of time, but those are about how long the sessions are. They are going to be localizing the radiation in the neck, chest and lung areas. This could pose problems for him in the future as they are going to be close to the heart. However any long lasting effects are minimal, but he could possibly acquire heart disease at an earlier age. It is a very minimal chance, but it is there.

He will have three more sessions of chemotherapy, and then 3-4 weeks after those are completed he will begin the radiation therapy. Then, if all is well he will be completed with the treatment phase, and will move into the follow up phase.

Things seem to be moving along at a good pace, and the treatments are working. There is a light at the end of this tunnel.

Hurry Up and Wait

We are currently at the hospital, in clinic waiting for our room. Adam was a scheduled admit for Chemo today, but we still have not been put in a room. We have been here since 8:15 this morning and it is now 12:30. Oh well, that is hospitals for you, hurry up and wait.

The news today is that, Adam will definitely be doing radiation, but when is up in the air at this point. It will be after his chemo sessions. right now they are say that if everything goes well, and the tumors continue to respond as well as they have, we will have this chemo session and then 3 (maybe 4) after this, then the radiation 3-4 weeks after that for a period of 3-4 weeks. So if everything goes well, he should be out of the treatment phase by October 1, 2009. Not bad. And hopefully cancer free!

Adam did receive some good news today. He is eligible for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He wished for a car, but they could not provide that of course, but they did say a family trip to Hawaii could be granted!! YEAH. But it is his wish, and they are going to bringing by some literature later during his stay this time regarding what he can wish for. I think honestly, his wish would be for the cancer to be gone...

Good News

We received some good news on Wednesday regarding all the tests Adam underwent on Monday. It looks as though the chemo is doing what it needs to do to get Adam back to being 100% cancer free. On the majority the doctor has said that the tumors and the masses have shrunk in size from 45-55%. This is outstanding news, and we are all excited to know that all this work is accomplishing the goal.

However, today we received another call from his doctor and he stated that after looking at all the tests and the effect that the chemo has had on the cancer Adam is still going to have to undergo radiation. He said even though the disease has shrunk considerably, it has not shrunk enough for Adam to be considered a fast responder. So the chemo will continue with a couple new drugs, and then in about 3-4 months he will undergo radiation. The good news is also that no one has said anything about surgery as they had discussed before, so this is great news.

The pesky mass in and around the neck and clavicle area are the ones that have not responded as quickly as they have hoped, so even though the news is good, we need to continue to battle this as aggressively as possible. The doctors have indicated that our goal is to eradicate this disease completely and to do that we need to fight it as hard and as aggressive as possible.

So as Adam looks ahead he can be excited that what he and the doctors are doing is working. We just need to continue to work hard and fight with all we have. So to say we have good news and bad news is not really the case, because we knew going into this that radiation was probably inevitable. We do say though that this is definitely good news and as long as we see these tumors decreasing it is good news!

An All Day Extravaganza!

Today is actually a day that we have been looking forward to. Even though it means spending the entire day in the hospital going from one department to another, getting poked and prodded and having to ingest nasty liquids and then have radioactive die put into your veins. Yes, I said we were looking forward to this. Well at least Adam's mother and I are looking forward to this day. Adam on the other hand may not find it as stimulating.

But, the tests are being done for a very important reason. It will tell us just how much the tumors have shrunk and if the chemotherapy Adam has been undergoing is doing what it needs to be doing. it will also initiate the next few months of treatment and how we will go forward from this point. Of course, both the doctors, Lisa, Adam and myself are sure that the treatments are working. Now to find out just how much. We will receive some initial results later this afternoon, but the big day will be the 22nd when we meet with the radiologists and the team of oncologists.

Adam has been doing fairly well, his counts are up, which is a good thing, however it is causing him a little back pain. This is a normal reaction to the Neupogen, but other than that he seems to be doing well. Adam is such a quiet subdued personality it it sometimes hard for us to determine just how he is doing. But, I am sure if he was not doing well, he would let us know.

Well we are on our way to the all day extravaganza, we will let you know our results as soon as we know, keep your fingers crossed!

Rain & Ice and Everything is Not Nice

The day started with an nice strong Midwestern ice storm. So going to work would be treacherous to say the least, however the weather reporters stated that if we waited until after rush hour, it would warm and the ice would turn to rain.

Sounded good to me, so I called into work letting them know that I was going to be late. Adam had chemo session at the clinic, scheduled for 10:30, so being concerned about the road conditions, I called his mother and she said seeing how it was later she would go out early and try to avoid the weather. So about the time I was about to leave for work I received a call from Adam's mother.

Adam was being very...aggressive would be an appropriate word for what he was being. He was hitting the dashboard, throwing food and using language 'unbecoming" of a teenage boy to his mother. So I decided to call out of work all together and investigate the situation.

Once we arrived at the hospital for his chemo session he was back to "normal" and we discussed the episode with his nurse practitioner, Lisa. She advised that it was very likely that he was experiencing "roid rage" due to the excessive amounts of steroids he had to take while on chemo to boost his metabolism and immunity. We knew it had to be something as this was not Adam's usual behaviour at all. So discussions proceeded regarding this issue and we were advised that he would need a psychological evaluation and that anti-depressants would probably be prescribed to counteract the effects of the steroids.

The day continued well, Adam had his chemo and tolerated it very well. We all left in one piece, and somewhat happier upon our departure than upon our arrival. It is inevitable that there are going to be good days and then there will be bad days, but if we can prevent the bad days then we should do what is needed to make those bad days as few as possible, for all of our sanity!

Getting down to business........

Adam came home from his dad's yesterday. It was really good to see him and know that he is feeling so good. The prednisone is doing the trick when it comes to his appetite! He is like a bottomless pit! But, I am not complaining. The more that he eats, the better because it is weight that he needs to keep up with the chemo.

We go McCullough today to get labs drawn. I'm praying that his counts are good enough to stop the GCSF. I hate giving him shots! I can do everything else that we have to do but it is so hard for me to give him a shot. It just hurts me in my heart to think that I have to do it but we do it because it will help him.

We go to clinic tomorrow (Tuesday) for day 8 chemo. Vincristine and Bleo (yuck!). Adam did really well last time and I'm praying that tomorrow goes as well. If the weather isn't bad, Adam will get to drive to the hospital but not drive back. The doctors will prescribe some Zofran or Ativan and he can't drive after he takes them.

This will be the first port access since we came home from the hospital. Adam seems to be doing great with the port. He is just complaining a little that it feels like a sore muscle. Hopefully, the soreness will wear off soon.

Now about getting back to business....... Adam has to get going on his schoolwork. We have a school meeting scheduled for the 9th and he needs to get his work finished. The last bit of math homework we haven't had a chance to even look at because the teacher didn't come in to our room this last hospital trip. But, I'm sure that he will get it done even if I have to prod him a little bit!

Home Again

Well not exactly, but home with Dad. Adam was dismissed from the hospital today after a battle with his PICC line. They (they being the nurses) normally just pull these out with no problem, however Adam's vein spasmed and caused it to clamp down on the catheter, which in turn caused the line to get stuck! OUCH!

So after several hours of warm compresses to allow the vein to expand the picc line was fully removed and discharge from the hospital was inevitable.

The second session of chemo went rather well. Very little if no nausea and he seems to tolerate it very well. Expect for draining him of energy, he is doing very well. The port site looks great. As his nurse said it was a "text book" procedure. He seems to also be tolerating it very well as well. Very little pain is associated with it. He says it feels as though his muscles are sore like he has been working out.

He actually has gained a little weight, and has even grown a little.

Adam started the New Year off here at dads and will go home on Sunday.

Goodbye 2008 - Hello 2009!

Adam slept most of the day yesterday and the biggest part of the day today, he was "snowed" after his surgery yesterday and the chemotherapy. The doctor has him on Ativan and Zofran for nausea and the mixture of the two has him knocked out. Which may be a good thing as the pain from the surgery won't be as bad, but he is not liking the effects. So they changed it somewhat, and now he is more awake and aware of what is going on around him.

Unfortunately he will celebrate the New year in the hospital. But with his strength, his faith and the knowledge from the doctors, New Years Eve 2009 will truly be a celebration as he will celebrate cancer free.

Port-a-Cath

Adam's second session of Chemo started today. This is a four hour process the first day, as several different drugs are put into his body intravenously. Prior to today he had what was called a PICC for this process. A PICC is a catheter implanted into the vein of the arm and into the Superior Vena Cava, which is...well here is a picture:

This morning however, a new catheter was implanted. This one is called a Port-a-Cath. It is a port that is placed just under the skin that has a catheter feed through the superior vena cava directly. This port is closed when not in use, and then is opened or "accessed" when in use. It is much more convenient to the patient. If having a plastic tube running from your chest into you heart cavity which allows chemicals to be pushed through your body is convenient. But this is what is making our son better, so whatever it takes, and however it can be more convenient, both he and his mother and I are all for it.

The actual procedure only takes about 30-40 minutes, but he was put under anesthesia, so we needed to wait for him to "recover" before he was taken back to his room.

The chemo was just started a few minutes ago, so this will be a long night, but Adam is sleeping, which is good.

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008 will be a Christmas that our family will remember for quite sometime. It was a very blessed and a very good Christmas. Even though our family is in the midst of a health issue, Adam has been diagnosed and is getting treatment and by Christmas 2009 he will be over this hurdle and cancer-free.

Adam seemed to have a good Christmas, over-all he did extremely well. The only thing he complained about, and that really wasn't even complaining was he was getting fatigued pretty quickly.

He spent Christmas morning, as is the tradition, at home with his mother, brothers and stepfather. Then he traveled south to Cleves, Ohio at his uncle and his aunt (my brother Gary and his wife Angie) home for our family Christmas. He ate VERY good and was able to enjoy the family and the fun. Then it was off with Dad. Dan and I always celebrate with his entire family on Christmas night. It is held at his mother's and there is usually a good 20-30 people that make their way in and out. Adam stayed in a room where not as many people ventured as to not expose himself to any possible viruses, etc. but still had a good time watching the after dinner game -time, where we all played Catch Phrase.

Adam and his brother Jordan remained with Dan and I and will go back home Saturday.

Yes, Christmas was a good one, a memorable one and a very blessed one.

Where Oh Where ...

What has happened to his hair? Well it started to fall out so he decided before it started to get any worse he would just shave it off. It really does not look bad, it looks kind of cool. I like it on him. His step-father also shaved his. So the question is...Is Dad going to shave his? Well, I will probably start with a buzz cut and go from there...

Despite the loss of hair, Adam seems to be doing very well. His counts are going back up, and he is eating and not getting nauseous, but then the second round of chemo has not started yet. That will start sometime on the 30th of Dec., after they put in his port. The port is much like the picc line, except it is under the skin, and allows him more freedom. It is also easier on the veins when the chemo is being given. Then sometime after the port is surgically attached they will begin the next session of chemo, and he will be hospitalized for about 3-4 days for that. At least he will be home for Christmas!

With Dad at Clinic

Today we went to clinic. Adam has to visit the Hematology/Oncology clinic once a week, at least for now. The clinic is to go over his progress with the doctor's and nurses , due testing if needed, take labs if necessary and any collection of things that may be required for his treatment prior and after chemo.

This week was my first clinic with Adam. He and his mother went last week and I popped in for a little while during my lunch. Today, we spent the entire day together running from one area of the hospital to the other. A Bone scan was scheduled. This was to determine and to make sure the cancer has not metastasized into the bone. They injected some nuclear fluid into Adam and then had to wait 90 minutes and then would scan his entire body. So while we waited we had a chest x-ray, and I also was taught how to "flush" his picc line. We also had lunch.

Then the bone scan was completed which took about an hour. Then back up to clinic for weigh in, height check and a visit with the Doctor.

The preliminary results of the bone scan were positive. No cancer in the bone! This is great news. We expected this, but it is always good to have it confirmed. The other news is that the chest x-ray showed "remarkable" (the doctor's words) shrinking in the diseased areas of the neck, clavicle and sternum. Of course we were unable to tell the masses in lungs, but tests will be performed soon to give us an idea of how those are being wiped out.

This was all good news, but unfortunately Adam's blood counts were way down. This is not good, as this makes him vulnerable to any type of virus or infection that may be flying around in the air. Which during this time of year, there are all kinds of those bugs around. So we must be very careful not to expose him to any type of infection.

Over-all clinic was a good experience and we received very favorable news. The next clinic will be on the 22nd, and then he will be admitted on Dec. 30th for his second round of chemo.

Not Always About Adam

Since Adam's diagnosis a lot of attention has been given to him. That is natural for all parents, when one of their children is sick they tend to shower them with attention. Mainly to make sure they are doing okay, being worried and any number of things that go through a parents mind.

Unfortunately if there are other children in the family, they tend to get "left out in the cold". When a child is sick that can last for the entire time they are sick, so with Adam having Hodgkin's, a lot of attention will be showered upon him. That leaves me with the reason for this posting. Adam's brother Jordan.

Even though Jordan is 18, he still lives at home and he too needs the attention, so this post is about him. He made the comment that there were no posts about him, so today it's about Jordan.

Jordan and Adam are very close in age, as well as close to one another. They look out for each other and they also fight with one another as brothers do, but NEVER say anything bad about the other one or you will see just how close they are. For many years when you saw Adam, you saw Jordan. Now that they are older that is not always the case, but you can guarantee if Adam needs his brother, Jordan will be there and vice versa.

So this has been very hard on Jordan. But he has still been there and supporting Adam every step of the way, just as a brother should, and just as a BIG brother should. So Jordan, thanks! You know that mom and I love you and you know that Adam does too, even though he never tells you that. Hang in there, and know that we still think about you too and we still worry about you too. This will all soon be over and I am sure that during this time you will get all the attention you need. If not let us know...

Life in the last few days

We came home late Tuesday night on the 9th of December. We had to have all of our ducks in a row to get ready to come home. Like having all the medicines that Adam would be on for a while and getting the delivery from HomeCare with his supplies. Bill picked up his meds from the pharmacy because we weren't going to get home until late.

The next day we started into our routine. We flush his PICC line and he takes his medicine. Sarah and Alyssa are here staying with us for a few days. She will be heading home tomorrow. Bill and Adam are going to take her home. Adam can ride in the car as long as he uses his mask and takes care not to expose himself to much. The ride was uneventful and they made it home with no trouble.

Friday was clinic day. The nurse coordinator met us in the lobby of the clinic and went over some material with me. Adam got checked out by Dr. Aly and then Dr. Saloman came in and looked him over. He did two meds via his PICC line and got some Ativan for nausea. He took a little nap while we were at clinic. He was pretty bummed out that he couldn't drive home but with the Ativan in his system, I wouldn't chance it.

We stopped by his dad's work and picked up a present from Erin's mom. She sent Adam six pints of Graeters ice cream (chocolate chip cookie dough, his favorite ice cream!) He couldn't wait to start into it and ate half of one container before we got home. He loved it!

Friday night Adam went to visit his friend John. These boys are so close and such good friends. John's mom said that John was so worried about Adam that it was hard for him to get anything done. The boys are six days apart in age so they are very close friends. They just sat in John's room and talked to a couple of their friends.

Saturday, Adam went to a friend's house for a while. I think that he may have overdone it a little because he was really tired when he got back. Fatigue is becoming a factor, I think, and Adam needs to take it a little more slowly until he knows what he is up against.

Sunday was a "yuck" day. Adam was tired from Saturday and wasn't feeling well. He got very nauseated. I gave him the Ativan so that it would help him to not be so sick. I'm hoping that he doesn't have very many of these kind of days. It's not fun for him and honestly, just makes me worry about him more.

I Just Want To Go Home (Day 14)

I think I heard those words about 30 times or more tonight. I am sure his mother heard them even more. The hospital made the mistake of telling Adam that he could go home today. However, they didn't realize when they tell a 15 year old who has been in the hospital for 14 days that he can go home, is that he expects to go home NOW.

Adam did go home, but after a very trying and impatient wait. It seems as though he is finally understanding the threat of his disease. As most kids, Adam is no different in believing that they are invincible and indestructible. Today I think he realized just how real this thing called cancer is. And how fragile we all are. He had sort of a meltdown today, and as he did, so did we all. Our nerves were raw, and our emotions have been ripped apart for two weeks and I think it all came to a head for all of us.

Unfortunately, this is something that we should not have experienced together. It would have been less painful and nerve exposing if we could have all experienced this at differant times.

But then it is not about us, it is about Adam and that is where the focus needs to remain, and from this point on it will be. Because he is too important, as any child would be in his situation.

To compound upon the emotional effects, Adam also is having to deal with the chemical effects. Not just of the chemotherapy but of the steroids that he HAS to take to strengthen his immunity. I know from my own experience with steroids, that you are constantly on edge and it feels as though you are going to crawl out of your skin. I was only on 5 milligrams, he is on 35 mil. twice a day. I am sure this is taking it's toll on him and is causing him to act out when otherwise he would not. That is not even taking into account; pain meds, anti nausea meds and the actual chemo. No wonder he is frazzled. He is allowed a meltdown once and a while. Actually I am surprised that it has taken him this long. But then he is a very strong-willed young man.

But finally we made it home. Adam's mom was able to sit down for a few minutes in her own living room, and Adam was finally able to relax and not deal with the confines of the hospital. Like he said when we got to the car. "Fresh air never felt so good Dad."

The first treatment is over. Several are still ahead with more curves and detours I am sure, but one thing is for certain, the road my be treacherous, but He will make it through this. The journey has just begun but he has a tremendous amount of support, love, faith and strength to help him through it.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Today is the third and last day of the first round of chemo. Unfortunately it did not go as well as last night. Adam became nauseous around 1:00 and began to get sick. They gave him the anti-nausea medication, however it put him out. He slept from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. He did sleep through his entire chemo regimen though and did not get sick, as he was asleep

When he did awake, he was still somewhat nauseous and was unable to eat anything. Finally he had to take another type of anti-nausea medicine which made him feel better and he was able to eat. Then it was time to take his prednisone, which is what caused the nausea earlier. He took each pill then chased it with ice cold Mt. Dew and then a tic tac. This worked! However when I left at around 11:00 he was complaining of nausea again. Let's hope he makes it through the night. Because if not, the Dr. said he would not be going home tomorrow if that was the case.

The steriods are already starting to make him swell a little, and he is also getting a ton of fluids being pumped into him, so his face is beginning to fill out. Also there was some hair on his pillow tonight, which means he will probably lose his hair. He didn't seem too upset about it though, he just said he may as well get out the razor and shave it off.

Hopefully he will make it thorugh the night without any other complications and will be on his way home tomorrow evening. The first journey of his battle is almost completed. Now we have about 12 months of treatment still ahead of us.

Second Day of Chemo

All in all the second day of chemo went very well. Adam is involved in a clinical study with his chemo, it is Response Based Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy for children with newly diagnosed Hodgkin Disease. What this means is that Adam, along with about 85-120 other children in the Cincinnati area will take part in the study with 1700 others across the country. The therapy is based upon the response, so if Adam responds quickly a certain protocol will be followed and if he responds slower, then a different protocol will be followed. Ultimately the same results should be the final result and that is for the patient to be cancer-free, hopefully with using little or no radiation.

Adam is taking several drugs into his system. Most of them are intravenous, however the steroids are by mouth. Along with the chemo and the steroids, he also is on anti-nausea medicine. Tonight he did become a little nauseous and was given the anti-nausea med. This made him really loopy. Most people that know Adam, know he is kind of quiet and laid back. With this drug he was completely opposite. We are not complaining though, as he had no nausea.

One of the chemotherapy drugs is a bright red. It takes about 45 minutes to go through the IV and into Adam's system. As you know everything that goes in, must come out, right? Well the remnants of this drug comes out in his urine. Which made his urine a hot pink color. He thought this was hilarious and had his sister take a picture of it (as he has to keep his urine for intake-outtake purposes) and put it on the blog. So here it is....yes, Adam's chemo induced urine. I am sure you are all excited!

Hey, I am happy that he is looking at this in an upbeat manner. I think this is what is going to get him through it.

I left around 11p.m. and Adam and Sarah were still awake and enjoying one anothers company. Hopefully his nausea will continue to not be a problem and he can get through this first batch of chemo with little or no side effects.

Day 11 - First Chemotherapy

Well, we started the day as we normally do with vitals. Thank God that everything there is going well. Today is the Jones family Christmas and we have had a couple of calls from everyone there. Glen and Lois are supposed to stop by on their way back home. Bill is here with us today. Mike is at home because he is running a low-grade temp. He's on antibiotics and should be back here tomorrow.

All in all, it's been a pretty quiet day. Adam has watched movies and we are watching the 2nd season of Friends. Glen, Lois, and Lucille came and brought some food from the get-together. While they were here, Adam started getting the chemo. Overall, he did really well. Some of the medicines run through pretty quickly while others take longer (more than an hour because of the size of the catheter that they have to run through.) He's taking a good size amount of Prednisone and he has to do a mouth swish and mouth wash. He had been doing really well, not nauseated until he took the prednisone. He said that it tasted bad. He did his mouth swish then and got sick. Just once. The nurse brought in some phenergan (sp) and gave it to him via his IV. He then went off to sleep.

I just hope for Adam's sake that this runs smoothly. He is getting grumpy but with everything that he's gone through he has just accepted it and gone on. The prednisone can cause mood swings and crankiness. I've asked him what I can do to help him. All I can do is be here when he wants me and do the things that he needs. He needs all the support that he can get from all of us.

Day 10 and Some Good News!

We received some good news today. The doctors are not going to be removing the diseased lung, or a biopsy at this time. They are going to start chemotherapy on Saturday. They feel that after two rounds of chemo and possibly a round of radiation, the tumor in the lung should decrease in size. The smaller nodules should also decrease. Once the two rounds of chemo are completed they will then do more tests to determine the results the chemo had, and at that time if they feel the treatments are not working they will then take more more invasive option of surgical removal.

This is good news to Adam, as he was NOT looking forward to surgery. I do not think the doctors wanted to really do surgery either as they need to keep him strong for the chemo. So tomorrow the first treatment of chemotherapy will begin. The protocol will be three days of chemo, then possibly home on the fourth day. Return for tests on the eighth day and then the second round of chemo will take place 21 days after the last. So according to my calendar, the 2nd round of chemo should take place around the 30th or 31st of December. So it looks like Christmas will be spared any trips to the hospital!

I have been sick for a couple days myself, a really bad cold and sore throat, so I did not go to the hospital today, but I will be there tomorrow, with a mask on, as I know he is going to need us there.

You can give you well wishes via leaving a comment on any blog post or you can email Adam directly at atw1993@gmail.com I know he would appreciate your comments.

More Tests

Today is day 9 in the quest for getting treatment for Adam. Yesterday on day 8 a PICC line was inserted into a vein in his arm. His dad and I were with him while the procedure was done. Adam said that it didn't hurt. His flu shot hurt worse!

I have talked to the oncologist today and the surgeon. It looks like the lung procedure will be done on Monday. I have to be honest that I hope that the less invasive procedure will be enough to put this question about his lung to rest.

We were able to go on a four hour leave today. We went home and Adam was able to see his friends. It was good to see him smiling. They are good kids and are very concerned about Adam. Living an hour away from the hospital, he didn't have a real extended time to be with them and then we had to drive the hour back. We are hoping for a weekend pass before the biopsy on Monday.

I have heard from several different people, all extending help and support. It's good to have that with all that we are facing right now. I know that Adam misses his regular routine. I keep hoping that things will calm down soon.

A Week Makes One Weak

Today has been a week since we have been in the hospital. I say we, when I should say Adam, as both myself and his mother have went home and slept in our own bed. He on the other hand has been here for the entire week, take eight hours of pass time over the Thanksgiving holiday.

In one week his life has changed, forever. In one week our lives have changed forever. Everyone that knows Adam has been affected by this. From his mother and I to the class mates that see him in the hallways everyday. This reality became even more real to us today as the doctor's began to share some of the side effects of the chemotherapy he would soon be undertaking. One of the side effects is that there is a 25% chance of sterility. This is a long lasting side effect that could changed the course of his life even in the future. So steps are being discussed to avoid that.

It seems like the doctors have an answer to everything. Well almost everything. Right now they do not know how they are going to go in to his body and obtain a piece of the lung for biopsy and testing. The surgeons and the pulmonary specialist are weighing the complications and the pros and cons of the different options. In the meantime, Adam has become increasingly agitated and aggravated. Which is to be expected. Also his mother and I are becoming somewhat agitated as well.

But even in this time of transition in Adam's life, our lives must go on. In a few days I will need to return to work. DJ is leaving tomorrow for a two week stint in Lima, Ohio for work. Adam's sister went home Sunday, back with her family and Adam's aunts will soon return to their respective homes as well. Some things have changed, and will be changed forever, yet so much remains the same.

In the meantime, we continue to wait. I am sure in a few days the treatment will be underway and we will finally begin to answer those questions that we have had all week, and the uncertainty will become a little easier to deal with.

6 Days...Answers and More Questions

Today Adam had the PET Scan. This test is done by putting radiated glucose into his system intravenously and then take pictures with the CT-Scan. Apparently the cancer feeds off glucose, so it will glow wherever the cancer is located. The scan showed that at least two nodules in his lung was Hodgkin's. Now the next step is to determine how to treat, and in order to determine this they will either have to do a surgical biopsy of the lung, or a bronchioscope to determine how to treat.

We did receive the results from the bone morrow and they came back negative, so no cancer in the bone!!

So now we wait for an answer as to what is next. Once a determination is made as to how to go into and check out the nodules on the lung, then they will decide when and how to start the chemotherapy.

Day 5

And he sleeps...... Sleep is good. Some people say that babies grow while they are sleeping. I pray that it is the same for healing. Adam has always been able to sleep through anything. He had to with three older siblings at home. I have always believed that he was a beautiful child and when he sleeps he has the sweetest expression. Could you tell that I'm just a little bit partial to this special young man?

Things just seem to be going so fast. My mind is in a whirlwind with all the information that we've been given. I am totally amazed with Adam and how he is taking in all of this and not letting this get him out-of-sorts. My new word to describe him is resilient----the ability to bend and not break.

Adam has had quite a bit of company. Of course lots of family have been here. He had four or five of his guy friends come on Friday with their parents. On Saturday, four of the girls from school came to see him. On Sunday he got another four hour pass and went to the movies with Aaron, Dan, Talia, and Jared. He said that he liked the movie (Transporter 3) but I think that he liked getting out of the hospital for a few hours.

Lots of things will be going on the next few days. PET scan is scheduled for Monday. We will know more after that is done and we have the results. As his mom, I have to say that in some ways it will be good to have more answers than questions. I guess my attitude is that if we know exactly what we are going to have to deal with then we can do it.

I love my son and it is hard to see him going through this but we will get through together!

A Journey Begins

The journey really began on February 10, 1993 in Hamilton, Ohio when Adam was born to his parents. The fourth of four children, Adam was the "baby" and still is the baby even though he is almost 16 and is taller than the other three children.

However, this blog tells the story of his current journey from his parents perspective dealing with his recent diagnosis of Hodgkin's Disease.

On Monday, November 24th, Adam had a doctor appointment with his pediatrician, Dr. James Davis. He was going in to check a swollen gland, that seemed to not go down. He had also just had a fainting episode at a friends house and so his mother was concerned, as was I, so a doctor's visit was needed.

Adam's mother and I separated in 1995 and divorced in 1999, we have remained close and are still friends. We have tried to maintain a relationship that would be beneficial for our kids, and so far this has worked very well for both of us. His mother remarried a few years ago, and I have a life partner, we have been together now 8 years.

Adam's mother called and explained to me that after the doctor's appointment, she arrived home to a call from the doctor, wanting to talk to her. The x-rays showed some abnormalities also in his chest area, and his blood work was somewhat questionable, as his white blood count was up, indicative of some kind of infection in his body. His recommendation was to send him to Children's Medical Center for further testing. His diagnosis? He didn't want to alarm us but said it could be anything for a major infection fighting it's way through the body to Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

To make a long story short, further tests were run; CT-scan; Blood Tests, X-rays, biopsy and the doctor's have confirmed that it is Hodgkin's Lymphoma. As to what stage, they believe it is State IV-A, which means the cancer has moved from the initial sight to other sites on the same side of his body. He has a mass on his neck about 6 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide, another on the center of his chest, roughly the same size, and six nodules on and around his right lung. The numbers are good though, as this type of cancer has an 80-85% success rate.

For Thanksgiving, the doctor's gave him a four hour pass to be with family, and then another Saturday and Sunday. Friday a Bone Morrow test was completed with the results coming on Monday. This will tell us if the disease has moved into the bone marrow (the doctors feel that it has not, due to his blood counts). This will also give us an indicator as to the stage of the disease for sure and this will enable the doctors to determine how to treat the cancer and fight it.

Overall, Adam seems to be taking the new better than his mother and I, and has a very positive outlook, which is important.

This blog will share his journey with you and others through the eyes of his parents, and from him if and when he wishes to post.