Today marks the 7th day of treatment for Desmond’s B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

We’ve been through two chemotherapy treatments, dozens of oral medications (steroids taste terrible, by the way), two MRIs, two echo-cardiograms, an EEG, and ECG, and a partridge in a pear tree.

We’ve seen enough doctors in the last week and a half to cast and shoot a full reboot of ER.

The whole background story will have to come some other time but here are the basics: Des was really lethargic and pale, we called our pediatrician’s on-call service, we came to the hospital, blood transfusions and oxygen began shortly, we boarded the 2+ year ride of pediatric blood cancer treatment.

For now here are the updates:

Blood

Desmond’s blood counts are responding to treatment. His ‘blasts’ from blood labs went from 1900 to zero (where they remain). I don’t know what blasts are, other than they’re bad, should not be there, and for now they’re not.

Hemoglobin is up to 9.4 this morning, which is very good for him (for perspective it was at 2.1 when we came in on the 10th). From what I understand his body isn’t making that hemoglobin, it’s from the transfusions.

We’re waiting on the bone marrow test results to come back this week to give a more detailed diagnosis. They’ll be analyzing the chromosomes of the actual leukemia cells to see what they’re made of.

Heart

Since Des’s red blood cells were so low, his heart had to do extra work to keep his body running.

They’ve been monitoring his blood oxygenation this week and finally he’s able to sleep all night without setting off the alarm. He still gets winded when we get up to walk around and ride the therapy bike but there’s definite improvement.

The doctors are pleased with the progress here, too.

Brain

Since we don’t do anything normal in our family there’s a strange condition the doctors are keeping an eye on. When they went to sample Des’s cerebrospinal fluid last week the doctors were surprised to find that the fluid was under more pressure than normal. An ophthalmological exam showed there was some pressure behind his eyes.

The doctors suspect that this extra fluid is due to the leukemia and have been ‘reading the literature’ to find other similar cases. So far, his brain scans are looking fine. No hidden blood clots, no signs of distress, no tumors. Just some extra brain juice.

We’re treating it with a daily oral medicine and prayers.

Overall

He’s tired. Not the scary tired like last week before we brought him in. Just tired of being here. Tired of strange people walking in the room all day. Tired of medicine. Tired of not seeing his brothers, his grandparents, aunts and uncles. Des and Sara both are tired of my dad jokes.

A hospital stay is hard on anyone, especially a child. He wants to want to run around. But he’s tough and we’re doing our best to be gracious and patient with him.

His body is responding well to the treatment. He’s healing.

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Matt