Say Goodbye to Chemo!

Twelve months ago today, we received Reid's diagnosis. The 25th May 2007 will be a date etched in our minds for the rest of our lives.
Although most of the past twelve months has been a blur I am thankful that I took the time to write down my feelings as the days past......"12pm Dr Helen Irving asked to speak to me. I have quickly learnt that when a doctor wants to speak to you and they take you to a small room, close the door - then the news is not going to be good." Today 12 months on we are so thankful to so many people. We thank God that our little boy is still here with us. However we still question God, why did he have to go through this? I am sure this will take sometime for us to come to terms with. Reids final chemo was cancelled due to a very bad infection in his central line. The Central Line had to be removed and Dr Tim felt that it was not necessary to continue with the final chemo. He quite bluntly said.. (I spose there is no other way to say stuff ablut cancer).."if the cancer was to return then I can safely say that it would not be because the final chemo was not administered." I was happy with this and quite pleased that we did not have to go through the rigours of the final treatment. However we were not out the woods yet.

The lead up to this was quite traumatic, as Reid had been so well in the week prior to the infection. He had even spent the week at school and loved seeing his friends and teachers again. On the Friday before the Anzac long weekend, I took Reid to St. Vincents for a blood count and line flush. By the end of the day Reid was not firing on all cylinders, and I put this down to having had a huge week at school. He had also been complaining that his leg was sore. I was also hoping my new nursing instinct was incorrect as I was supposed to be going on a girls weekend to Sydney the next day. This trip had been planned for months. By 8pm Friday night I was with Reid at St Vincents emergency and Reid had a temp of 39.5. He had a swollen foot as well. The Doc on duty thought that he could have cellulitis, I was not convinced with this diagnosis, but accepted it. Blood was taken to do a culture report on, his temp was lowered and we returned home around 11pm. with oral ainti-biotics. I hardly slept as I checked his temp hourly to make sure it was not rising again. At 3am his temp was stable at 37. I ummed and erred about going to Sydney, but in the end decided to go as Dave was going to be here and I was sure he could handle anything that was to dished up. I rang David from the Brisbane airport to check on things. He said that Reid did not have a temp, but was not well, but everything would be ok and to have a good time. I boarded the plane and turned off my phone. The flight only goes for just over an hour. I turned the phone back on when we touched down to hear two messages from David saying his temp had gone to 40.5 and they were in hospital. I got off the plane and with the invaluable level headed help from my very dear friends, got my bag, changed my ticket and got on the next flight back to Brisbane. I was in Sydney for 45mins!! I phoned David and asked if Reid could be transferred to RCH, and was told that Reid was too ill to be transferred. I hired a car in Brisbane and drove back to Toowoomba. When I saw Reid I was so pleased that I had come home. His temp was still very high and he had a lage swollen area on his leg. After x-ray we found that his leg was broken. The break was right in the middle of the grafted fibular...

The cultures taken on Friday night grew a bad bacterial infection and we were finally transferred to RCH on the following Wednesday. Reids leg was xrayed again and it was decided to cast it in a weight bearing cast the following Monday. after the cast went on we were allowed home 12th May. We were sent home with several anti-biotics and instructions to continue weight bearing and physio.
Reid went back to school 19th May. We decided to only do half days and see how Reid handled that. Although he was tired, having Kim (his wonderful carer) with him constantly meant that he could remain focused and gain as much as he could within the short school periods. However by the end of the week I had a call from an Orthpod from RCH who was quite alarmed when I told him Reid was 'weight bearing'. He told me to stop all weight bearing and cease physio up untill we see Dr Steadman on Tuesday (27th May).
Reid is so well at the moment. He even has eyelashes and eyebrows!! His hair is coming back slowly but it is there! I am so happy that he has finished the chemo, however he has so much more in front of him by means of rehabilitation. The Orthos told me to expect up to 30 breaks on the graft throughout the next 5 years. One down only 29 to go!!!