Colin Loves Tractors » vomiting

Survivor: Target House

Mom — Sun, 23 May 2010 13:10:43 +0000

There is no immunity challenge, and Jeff Probst doesn’t sit us around a campfire to discuss who is next to go, but living here is beginning to feel like a warped version of the Survivor reality show. So many families that were planning to leave after us are by now long gone.

The Simkins, who have [...]

Operation Radiation

Mom — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:45:57 +0000

Colin’s final radiation treatments found us at Methodist Central, an adult hospital not far from St. Jude in midtown Memphis. The final dose of radiation was delivered on Saturday morning, when a normal child of his age is watching cartoons. We are in the home stretch of our time here in Memphis and the more [...]

Reset Button

Mom — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:43:52 +0000

Colin’s second week of radiation was grueling: vomiting, utter fatigue, dangerous aspiration and an unexpected stay in the hospital. The third week (days 9 – 13) was a completely different story. After going back inpatient at St. Jude, Colin slept for two days straight, waking on Friday morning at 4 am to let me know [...]

Last Stop, Pukesville!

Mom — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:19:24 +0000

The chemo train is taking Colin on a trip to Pukesville. Next station, Emesis Valley. Making local stops at East Heavetown and Upper Hurlbury! Discounted fare available with Zofran, Benadryl, Ativan and Reglan.

Cisplatin is the usual suspect with severe nausea and vomiting, and we have been bracing ourselves for this since the end of the last [...]

Awesomeness is Free of Charge

Mom — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:57:17 +0000

St. Jude has Kung Fu Panda in its DVD library, which I have never seen in its entirety. However, I did at least catch the beginning one day during chemo while snuggling with Colin and immersing myself in the Jack Black-ness of the intro, a dream sequence in which the headline panda exhibits true kung [...]

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 [...]

The Little Engine

Mom — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:15:55 +0000

Colin has made some big leaps ahead, and we can now really see the strength of his determination. He vehemently resists activities and treatments that he does not like and resents being subjected to uncomfortable procedures.

Unfortunately, we had to put him through two of those today. The first was the upper GI study, essentially a [...]

Colin, the Blue(s) Man of Memphis

Mom — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:23:48 +0000

Now for a long and eventful update. Briefly, Colin enjoyed his first trip “home,” which happened during the Target House 10th Anniversary. Because he wasn’t really stabilized on several fronts, he went back to St. Jude. This happened while Mom was away for work, and not long after she returned, Colin was discharged again with [...]

Putting the Fundo to the Test

Mom — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:48:40 +0000

After Colin’s sudden swelling on Sunday, Monday started off relatively placid. However, he remained generally puffy and his secretions continued non-stop. This was no great surprise given the tremendous amount of fluids he was receiving, but it was also exacerbated by nausea.

As the day progressed, Colin flagged. In the afternoon, he actually vomited for the [...]

Diarrhea Woes

Mom — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:07:36 +0000

This morning, Colin woke up with diarrhea and had several bouts before noon. Whenever he would reach toward Mom, it turns out that he just wanted to get changed. A thorough inspection with the otoscope (this is the greatest tool in the room since it allows a very well lit view of the area of operation) [...]