Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Well the New Year is upon us and it's been awhile since I last updated you.   

Where to start?.... Matt and I kept the kids home from school as possible covid cases became positive cases at the school.  Libby and Kaleb were not all that excited to be back online (they are still supposed to be in person) but I reminded them how they did this last year and rocked it.  They could definitely handle the last week before Christmas break online and to be honest Kaleb has been doing a hybrid variation of school since September.  As for next week we still are unsure if we will send them back a lot will depend on Kaleb's counts and what the numbers are looking like.  

Kaleb's hair is coming back!  For a little bit it looked like it might be blond but we can now see that it will be red. Bets on if it will be straight or curly are in the works! 

   

We were very lucky and were able to spend Christmas at home (this is not a privilege that every child gets when fighting cancer or any other type of disease). Amelia made it back home and we enjoyed decorating the tree as a family.  Christmas morning they let us sleep in and we enjoyed the day together before having a big Christmas feast!

 On the 27th we headed down to London as a family and settled into our hotel.  The hotel was crazy busy but we were in a hallway that was quiet.  The kids came over to our room and we hung out together playing the switch and playing games that we received for Christmas.

The next morning Matt and the girls dropped Kaleb and I off at the Hospital and it was very busy!  Once we made it through the normal screening there were tables and chairs lined up in the main foyer area and lots of people lined up.  It turns out they were giving booster shots out to staff and patients who qualified to get them.  Bypassing that area we made our way down to the PMDU.  After registering at the desk we sat and waited for Kaleb's assigned nurse to come and collect us.  Kaleb was measured and weighed once again (he is now 133 lbs and has surpassed his original pre cancer diagnosis weight! ). It was a full house in the PMDU and they had no extra spaces/rooms or beds (lots of times there are a few extra beds that will sit empty) but both the isolation rooms and the curtain rooms were full.  Thankfully Kaleb was given a large corner curtained room as we knew it was going to be a long day.  After getting settled into the room, Kaleb had his PICC Line bandages changed and his blood drawn.  It was at this point that we found out that his lines were somewhat blocked. They were able to get the blood drawn from one side after some work and were able to get the other one working after several flushes.  The flushes are hard on Kaleb as he can taste the saline as it is being flushed through his PICC and it tends to give him a headache.  We have learnt over time that one type of mint really helps combat the flushing  so we always have a big bag of them on us and at the ready! When they were removing the bandages and cleaning the area they took note that Kaleb's skin is once again not happy and has actually started to blister.  Our nurse had our case manager come and take a look at it and then finished with the bandage change.  Because we are back on Tuesday, it has been decided that they will wait a week and see how his skin is doing.  If the blisters are not gone or if there are sores we will have to change the type of bandages used.  Kaleb was then hooked up to a hydration drip as he needed to pre-hydrate before he could receive his chemo treatments (3 in one day)

We met with a different specialist who was filling in for Kaleb's Dr.   We actually knew her from when Kaleb had been in hospital before his diagnosis.  She is very direct and to the point but also has a great bedside manner.  In the past two weeks Kaleb has had a few things pop up and so we went over those with her.  Kaleb burnt his fingers and did not know it until he saw the blisters and brushed his hand up against a hot dish.  He is ok, they were minor but from now on he will have to be mindful and trust us when we say "careful that's hot".  It is also important that he wear gloves when outside as he will not be able to feel if his fingertips are getting frostbitten.  This is due to one of the chemo drugs that he has to take.  It affects the longest nerves in your body (fingers and toes) and will hopefully get better slowly once he is done taking this particular chemo drug.  

Kaleb has also developed stretch marks over his body, it is due to the steroids he has to take.  Another  memento that will last a lifetime reminding him of his battle.   

In the last few weeks Kaleb has fallen down the stairs several times, (thankfully never hurting himself) due to his legs giving out.  He has to go on and off the steroids so often, they are starting to affect his large muscle groups near the torso.  We have been told it will get worse while he finishes his treatments but once he is off the treatment it will get better over time.  Kaleb is to take it easy and give himself permission to rest and not beat himself up for needing to take more breaks for little tasks if that is what his body needs.  

Back in our curtained room Kaleb continued his hydration.  While we were waiting his blood results came back and everything was a go.  He did not pass the first hydration test so they had to extend the hydration time. This is not surprising as this tends to be a normal issue.  Once Kaleb was able to pass the hydration test they started administering his chemo treatments. By the time Kaleb was able to leave we had been at the hospital for 9.5 hours.  

For the next 2 days Kaleb and I went back to the hospital for more chemo treatments. We will head back to London again next week for more chemotherapy and then Kaleb will have a 2 week break before his next cycle begins.  

As this year closes and a new one is about to begin, we want to thank you all for your love, care and support.  We are looking forward to the upcoming year where we will be able to celebrate Kaleb finishing his treatment. 

Happy New Year!