The boost treatments are underway. Alexander’s wakeups have not been any different, though we tried skipping the Precedex and letting him wake up quicker. No luck. We have resigned to getting him out of the PACU quickly and letting him get fresh air. Once he eats and drinks and uses the bathroom, he improves. That may be all that helps. Only 2 weeks of sedation left.

Yesterday he weighed 0.55 kg less than on Monday. His weight gain from the weekend is gone. Yesterday, though, he ate pretty well (donuts, hamburger, a few fries). We think the appetite stimulant may be helping—it took about 5 days to take effect, as expected.

We have another choice to make about his treatment, but this one will be not quite as hard as the radiation-or-not choice. There are two options for chemotherapy, one based on a published study and one based on a not-yet-published St. Jude study. Without getting too weedsy, they each have their drawbacks. We are asking questions now and have some time to make our decision.