*DISCLAIMER* This was written just before Alexander was admitted to the hospital with a neutropenic fever.  An update on that will follow shortly.

Our first week of chemo is in the books.  There were so many things about being in the hospital that we had almost forgotten about–the lack of sleep, the limited and questionable food options, the constant interruptions to check vitals and hook up more tubes, the unannounced drop-ins from various caretakers … but we made it through all that.

Alexander is doing really well overall.  The first few days after getting home, he was restless, not eager to eat, and not sleeping well.  It is impossible to know whether that was a result of the chemo, the inconsistent lifestyle, or (most likely) a combination of the two.  In the last two days, though, he has–in his words–perked up.  (He got up  this morning saying that some water and some milk would perk him up!)

He’s had only one identifiable side effect from treatment.  Vincristine, one of the drugs he gets, causes jaw pain in some patients.  Whenever he has eaten since being home, he has held his jaw with every bite.  That side effect didn’t register among the possible ones we were told about, but I looked it up yesterday and found that that’s probably what he’s dealing with.  He’s not in a lot of pain, but it’s clearly uncomfortable when he opens his mouth to eat, and so we think his diet has not been quite up to snuff because of it.  Again, though, everything about him seems better today.

We got a little more good news today, not about his cancer but about his teeth.  He went for a cleaning last Friday, and the dentist was concerned about a possible cavity.  Dry mouth and a sugary diet make cavities a risk for cancer patients, and we were concerned about being able to address it during chemo.  Today, we went to a pediatric dental office (and dear neighbors) for a closer look.  X-rays show no cavity.  No need to schedule a filling during chemo.  Whew.

Tomorrow we go to Edward Hospital in Naperville for an outpatient infusion of vincristine and for blood tests.  This is our first time through the cycle, so it will be very interesting to see what his ANC is.  We administered filgrastim this past weekend, so I hope that will boost his count, but we expect it to be low.  We are entering the danger week, the week he’s at his most vulnerable.  We want him to be happy and playful–he gets more and more vigorous every day post-infusion–but it will be hard to see him so energetic and have to tell him he can’t be around other kids.  He desperately wants to play.

My parents are scheduled to leave on Thursday.  We are so grateful to have had them here to help and support us during this period of unknowns.  They have helped with everything around the house and have kept the kids fed and entertained as we have done what we’ve had to.  They deserve a break from us, but we can’t wait to have them back up here in October when his next round of chemo starts.  Mom and Dad, we love you!