Friday Update.

Zane has now been in the hospital for a week and he has been fever free for over 24 hours. This morning he was placed on contact precaution.  Their is some concern he might have a bacteria infection. Two different tests were sent and the more serious of the two came back negative. We are still waiting on the second test. Today I hung out with Zane while Bob hung out with Zac.

Zane had a great day today. He was content with hanging out in his room. He made a pizza, decorated cupcakes and played with a new ice cream toy set. We are hoping the second test comes back negative so we can interact with the people on our floor again.

Zac spent the majority of the day sleeping. He spiked a few fevers during the day and they started him on the third antibiotic today. This afternoon he was in a lot of pain again so he had imaging done. His gallbladder is inflamed. Good news is he's already on the antibiotic used to treat it.

Both boys still have a zero ANC level. We are hoping Zane remains fever free and Zac will start to feel better. We miss our happy little guy.

A Rough Day

Today was a long day. It started at 5:00am when Zane woke up with a fever. Once I got him settled Zac woke up in pain. We gave him some pain medicine and he slept for the rest of the morning. Then when he woke up he kept grabbing his stomach, moaning in pain and then he threw up. The doctors came in to exam him and then ordered several tests. Labs were drawn and we made a trip to radiology and thankfully the scans all came back clear. His labs from this afternoon raised  some concerns with  various levels regarding his pancreas so more tests were ordered. And those came back normal too. They are watching his glucose levels but thankfully they returned to normal after he drank some juice. We are still working on figuring out the source of his pain but we are grateful that his tests are coming back within the normal ranges.

Zane started to run a low grade fever this afternoon but he was able to return to a normal temperature within a short period of time on his own. He also threw up just as they were getting ready to take Zac to radiology. Thankfully the nurses told me to go with Zac and they would clean Zane up. When we got back Zane was in a great mood and joking around with the nurses. Then, this evening he had a mild reaction to one of the antibiotics. They gave him some Benadryl and he has been sleeping ever since.

We are hoping they will start to turn the corner soon. We are still waiting for their ANC levels to rise. Both are still at zero.

Long Days and Nights

The past two days and nights have been a little rough. Zane has been battling fevers for the past two days. They have started him on a second antibiotic to see if that would help. All of his cultures have been coming back negative. Nights have been really rough for him. He tends to spike his fevers at night and they tend to cause him to have some aches and pains. So I've been spending my nights trying to make sure he is comfortable. 

Zac has been fever free for 24 hours now but is in a lot of pain. Bob has been spending his nights with Zac trying to keep him comfortable and doing whatever he can to help Zac. 

The boys had their last round of chemotherapy in the delayed intensification phase. In the next two to three weeks, depending on their counts, they will start Maintenance. This will consist of doctors visits every four weeks for about three years. They will also be taking a daily chemo pill plus a few other drugs. 

Currently we are waiting for their ANC levels to rise, both are still at zero, and for Zac to remain fever free and for Zane to be fever free. Thank you for all the prayers and encouraging words. They mean the world to us. 

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I'm blogging from my phone and I can't figure out how to add pictures. 

Both Boys in the Hospital

Zane was able to get some rest last night.  During vitals overnight he had a temperature so they gave him some Tylenol and drew blood for cultures.  This morning Bob and I traded places and I went home to spend time with Zac and Zoe.

Around lunch time I was about to give Zac his pain medicine and noticed he felt hot.  I took his temperature and it was 101.3.  I loaded him up I the car and called the doctor.  Whike in route to the hospital the doctor called and told us to plan for admission.  Thankfully the room next to Zane was empty and that is now Zac's room.

My mom is at our house with Zoe and Bob and I are now trying to figure out the logistics of two kids in the hospital.

Day 2 in the hospital

We were admitted on Thursday night and once we got into his room Zane need a blood transfusion and platelets. This requires a constant monitoring of vitals. He didn't fall asleep until after 2 am Friday morning and woke up with the sunrise. He had fevers off and on yesterday. He's pretty upset about being here. He wants to go home and rest in his own bed. I can't blame him. 

Friday night Zac started to run a low grade fever but thank God it didn't reach the100.5 level and His temperature returned to normal. Zane had some muscle pain last night that was causing some discomfort but I was able to hold him all night in the position he finds most comfortable. 

Zane woke up this morning wanting to go home. Bob spent the day with Zane while I spent the day with Zac and Zoe.  We got the house ready for Nana, who we picked up this afternoon. I spent some time with her before coming back up to the hospital. When I got here Zane had his escape plan ready. He told me to go get the car and to ask the doctor what's going on. He also told me I needed to get the doctor and a spider man bandaid so they could take his butterfly out.  (His butterfly is the needle that's in his port.)  He even told the nurse to go find the doctor so he could go home. 

Right now he is sleeping and as soon as I publish this post I will be joining him. 

We are praying Zane's ANC levels will start to rise (they are at zero and need to get to 200 before he can come home) and for both boys to remain fever free.   

Sweet boy getting some sleep yesterday. 

In the Hospital

I was working on a blog post earlier today when Zane spike a fever.  We brought him into the ER and he was admitted just a little while ago.  We are here until he is fever free for 48 hours and his ANC is at 200 and climbing upward.

The past week the boys have had two rounds of chemo and both have needed blood transfusions and platelets.  These rounds have been pretty hard on their little bodies.

Some pictures from the last week or so. (I was able to uploaded these before we headed to the hospital and my phone is not letting me add captions)

Afternoon Smiles

I was trying to get a picture of both boys smiling and looking at the camera the other day.  I grabbed their Cookie Monster and pretended to eat the grapes.  That lasted for a few minutes and then they grabbed Cookie Monster and started feeding him the grapes.

A Mental Break

Last week (8/30) the boys did not make counts.  We looked at this as a blessing in disguise.  I was mentally drained and their bodies needed a little break too. We spent the week taking it easy and on Saturday Bob went and picked up Zoe.  It's so good to have her back.

This past Tuesday (9/6) both boys made counts and it was a long day.  We left the house at 6:00 am and didn't get home until after 7:00 pm.  The boys had to meet certain hydration requirements before they could get one of their chemo's.  After they met their requirements they received an additional two hours of hydration.

This round of chemo is hitting the boys pretty hard.  They have a decreased appetite and get tired more easily.  Needless to say we are taking it easy this week.

Getting a treat from the vending machine after not making counts.

Zane cooking with his gummies.

Zac grilling some hot dogs.

Sweet boys.

Watching a movie on the iPad.

Zac and Mommy

Making carrot soup.

Zac's drawing.

Zane's artwork.

She's back home!!