August 8,2009 Day -6 10:00pm

Almost the end of one more day. We have really learned to take one day at a time here, today was a good day. Tucker slept most of the day, if he wasnt sleepin he was eatin!! They are really amazed at how good his appetite is.(which by the way is a terrific thing). Not much going on. Tomorrow is a different story tho.
Tomorrow starts the second round of chemo. It is also the stronger chemo. This one will make him feel nauseoeus, tired, probably make his hair fall out(what little there is), could possibly cause sterility, & can possibly cause bleeding in the bladder. to prevent the bleeding they have to increase his fluids so the meds dont sit in his bladder. Because of that they have to strictly measure all his "ins" & "outs", what he eats, & how much he goes to the bathroom. Unfortunately because hes a baby, in order to do that he has to have a catheter put in. That sux! Its going to be a bit of a rough couple days so please say extra prayers!!
There isnt alot to do in this small hospital room & Shawn & I are here w/ Tucker. We are really learning alot about eachother & about life. We have to work as a team, we are learning patience w/ eachother, we are learning that we really do love eachother,We know that god does listen to our prayers, & we need to have faith. We know that we are truly blessed to have this most amazing "little man" in our lives. I think most of all we are learning not to complain. Truly if you ever think you are having a bad day, just come spend a day here in the oncology unit w/ these kids & parents, you will think twice about complaining!! I do honestly appreciate everthing I have so much more!!!

August 8,2009 Day -6 2:15pm

Today is a rather quiet day. Tucker has a day of rest today, which means he has no meds or chemo today. Shawn & I are taking advantage of it by holding & snugglin him. He seems to be very hungry today, which is a great thing. The next round of chemo is probably going to make him feel yucky! We are just kinda hanging out today. Other than a diaper rash, Tucker feels quite good today.

August 7, 2009 Day -7

Today is the last day of Tuckers 1st round of chemo!!! The doctors are very happy so far with how he is handling everything. They are also surprised that he still has such a good appetite!!! Our little tubby butt!!
I am tired tonight & Tucker seems to be just a little out of sorts. Tomorrow he gets a day of rest, which means NO MEDS!! it also means he wont be hooked up to all kinds of tubes which is great. We can snuggle w/ him all day.

Tuckers counts They wont be checking his ANC level now til day +5
WBC: 3.7
HGB: 12.6
PLTS:415

Shawn & I are thankful to all those who are praying for Tucker & us.

August 6, 2009 9:00 pm

Almost the end of another day. Tucker had a really good day. Rather quiet & mellow. He is eatin good & tolerating everything really well. The drs are all happy with the way things are going. He seems to be gettin used to all the sounds & beeps , & people in & out pokin at him. It seems weird but its almost like he knows what is going on, & that all this is to cure him. Tucker Daniel is truly an amazing baby!!! He is teaching me great things!! I do believe god sent Tucker here to do great things, & we are priveleged to have him in our lives!!
I am learning here to look no farther than today!!
Please keep keep prayin, God is listening!!

August 6, 2009 Day -8 9:30 am

3 days down!! I am learning just to think about 1 day at a time, if you think further its just to overwhelming. We are at day -8 today, which means 8 days till transplant! So let me explain some things. Every day they take blood to measure his "counts". That means they are measuring 4 things: 1) ANC level - during chemo this will go to 0. After the transplant this is the most important thing we are looking for, when the level gets back up to 200 is when we talk about coming home!!!
2) WBC- white blood cells. This is what Tucker doesnt have. He does show a count right now but they are not any good.
3)HGB level- which is his hemoglobin level. This is important because when this level goes to 8 or below that means he will require a blood transfusion. normal for a baby is between 12 & 16.
4) PLTS- which is his platlet count. This is also important because of how much blood they take. This number is also very important because he has to maintain a certain level to go home.
So every day I will post his counts.

We had a fairly good night. I even got a little sleep. Tucker woke up happy this morning, & so far we are having a good day.

Tuckers counts for yesterday : ANC: 1296
WBC: 2.7
HGB: 8.0
PLTS: 436

Tuckers counts for today : ANC: 714
WBC: 3.4
HGB: 12.2 (had a transfusion yesterday)
PLTS: 357

August 5 11pm

Well its 11pm & Tucker just fell asleep. Dont know for how long though, the nurses will be in to bug him soon i'm sure. His blood transfusion went well & he seemed to feel better when it was done. Shawn & Keighly left awhile ago, so its just me & Tucker.
I'm going to try & sleep a little now, while he is.
Dont forget to say prayers!!!

August 5,2009 Day -9

This is definately not the place you want to be if you want to sleep!! We arent getting much, but I guess we shouldnt complain. The nurses are in all thru the night checking his vitals & giving his meds. The doctors were in early this morning. So far Tucker is doing really good. I think better than I would be! As the day goes on, He seems to be feeling the affects of all the meds & the chemo. He now has diarreah & his appetite isnt great, but thats to be expected. This evening he is getting a blood transfusion. That is because his hemoglobin level is now getting to low due to all the blood they are taking. The transfusion started at around 6 & takes 3 hours. There are possible reactions to the blood, but so far so good.

Nan left this afternoon to go back home, but I dont think she wanted to. She will be back on Monday. Shawn & Keighly are getting ready to home shortly too, So its just gonna be me & Tucker.
Keep praying

August 4,2009 Day -10

Didnt get to much sleep last night. Tucker is not used to all the commotion, lights, noises & bein woke up every couple hours. Its definatly not the same as bein in our bedroom with noone but just us. They started Busulfan this morning at 2am. That is the first chemo drug that he is getting, then they had to draw LOTS of blood!! They thought he might need a blood transfusion today, but his counts were all good. He is also on about 5 other meds, rangig from antibiotics to meds for all the side affects of the other meds. It just amazes me that his little body can handle all this. He is being such a trooper! We met lots of people today, including his doctors from the transplant team, nurses, physical therapists & other patients. Tucker is starting to get back on his schedule, & seems to be getting his appetite back. This evening Shawn & I helped the nurse change the dressing on his central lines. They look much better now.

Being here really makes you appreciate the little things in life! Cherish every moment!!

Please keep praying, god really does listen!

August 3,2009/ Day -11

Today begins Tuckers journey to getting healthy.Our journey starts at 3am when we have to wake up to get ready for the adventure.It is so bittersweet, we know that Tucker has to go thru so much, but in the end, he will be a healthy happy baby!! We arrived at CHOP today at 6am. We were all very nervous and not sure what to expect. They took Tucker into surgery about 8:00 to put in 2 central lines. They are lines that are surgically placed into his chest and run into a large artery in his heart. The purpose of them is so they can administer his meds thru them & draw all his blood that way & dont always have to stick him. So far they dont realy seem to bother him.
He slept alot thru the afternoon & didnt have much appetite, which was to be expected. As evening came he started to get a little restless, & more alert. The anestesia was wearing off, and I think he started wondering what was going on.
They started his first meds at 8pm. They are the antibiotics. We didnt get much sleep, between The nurses coming in quite often & him just being restless it was a long night. The first round of chemo started at 2am. At 430 they begin takin lots of blood for all kinds of tests.
All in all it wasnt a bad start to a new begining!!!
Please keep praying!!!!!!!!!!!!!