Colin Loves Tractors » recovery

Normal, Redefined

Mom — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:56:53 +0000

On Tuesday, only one day late, Colin is back on track with chemo. He enjoyed an unexpected afternoon day pass on Monday and a further delay of several hours on Tuesday morning for fundraising purposes.

Despite the recalcitrant fungal infection, Colin has (so far) been kicking a** and taking names in this round of chemo. Methotrexate [...]

On the Upswing

Mom — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:26:58 +0000

Tuesday morning, we found out that Colin’s immune system has already started to rebound. His ANC, which had been zero the day before, was 500 (in the afternoon, we confirmed that the rise was not an anomaly when it came back at 400)!

This means that Colin should be climbing out of the high risk zone [...]

Our Colin of the Contradictions

Mom — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:22:56 +0000

On Sunday night, Colin spiked a fever and the team immediately started him on antibiotics that they were poised to deliver. His morning bloodwork showed that his Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) had dropped to zero, an abrupt change from several days before, when it had been at 3,400.

Also, Colin’s hemoglobin level (7.6) showed that he [...]

You Should See the Other Guy

Mom — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:33:18 +0000

Colin’s surgery on Monday went swimmingly, a marvel of coordination between the general surgery and neurosurgery teams. The doctors assembled in the play room and worked out which side of his body each would use; both involved tunneling procedures that necessitated that their lines did not cross.

In the end, the mediport went in on his [...]

Two Steps Forward…

Mom — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:40:56 +0000

Today, Colin was definitely less sleepy although still quite congested and having a hard time keeping his oxygen saturation high enough. He received an oxygen blow-by all day and wore a mask when venturing out on the stroller. This required the hardware of an oxygen tank on wheels (absent the tank these tend to look [...]

New Belly Button

Mom — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:11:11 +0000

On Monday, Colin had surgery to install a G-tube (a second bionic belly button next to the organic original) and perform a fundoplication, which serves to prevent reflux. Over the weekend, Colin appeared to suffer from symptoms of a run of the mill virus and had a few bouts of vomiting.

Though we suspected that the [...]

Our GiantKid

Mom — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:21:00 +0000

Today, among other things, the family went off to a Ronald McDonald House outing for GiantKids (children with cancer). The event took place at Camp Kiwi, which also happens to be close to home and provided an opportunity for Dad and Aidan to crash at home for the night.

Much of the focus of these types [...]

GRRRRR = Colin’s Tummy

Mom — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:51:14 +0000

Yesterday, Colin was extubated successfully. One of the sedatives caused him to generate a lot of secretions, so his breathing sounded very juicy and uncomfortable. He moved his legs constantly and didn’t seem to settle. It was disconcerting to watch but the doctors were unable to give him anything stronger than Tylenol for fear of [...]

Making Pinocchio a Real Boy

Mom — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:50:31 +0000

Colin has really enjoyed becoming a boy again, rather than a patient or freak. Although he enjoyed the quasi-liberation of the cart at the hospital, it was a poor replacement for a return to human society.

Even though Colin has big physical limitations compared to his pre-admission condition, he is now able to sit independently (without [...]

Changes and new experiences

Mom — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:50:18 +0000

Monday was a whirlwind. The hospital environment is very strange, where it seems that nothing is happening but different practitioners constantly drop by and the next thing you know, the day is over.

We received many visits from Colin’s neurosurgery/oncology team. The first was from Dr. Mohan, who is leaving town for a week but wanted [...]