We have made it through round four of chemo. Praise Jesus! Ari has done fairly well this round with the exception of one run to the E.R. from about 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. I am not sure why every fever has to come in the middle of the night. Of course, no fevers at all is the preference but if one is going to come along how about mid-afternoon, right? We are just thankful that Ari was treated quickly and we were able to come back home. It has been nice to be home a little more often. We still go up to Portland 2 or 3 times a week currently for outpatient chemotherapy and the occasional blood/platelet transfusion, but our primary pediatrician here in Eugene is working with the doctors at Doernbecher to see if we can get some of his transfusions done in Eugene. It would be nice to not have to drive quite so far every time.
We did receive some great news that Ari's shunt on the right side of his brain is working beautifully. The fluid level on his right side went down almost a whole centimeter which is pretty huge. The unfortunate news is that the left and right side fluid collections aren't working together like the doctors had hoped. There is a large fluid collection now on the left side. As a result, Ari will be having his sixth surgery to place another shunt on the left side of his brain. This shunt should be temporary as well. They are placing these shunts to relieve pressure that the fluid is placing on the brain. The hope is that when his brain catches back up to his skull, there will not be a need for the shunt. The original tumor and hydrocephalus caused his skull to stretch quite a bit which is why there is so much excess space.
We will go back to Doernbecher on Wednesday, June 18th (Ari's first birthday) for a quick brain MRI to make sure nothing has changed. They will then plan to do the surgery that day or the following. Happy birthday, Ari! It is hard to think about another surgery on his birthday, but realistically it is the best gift he could get - relief! The poor kid needs a little break from all this pressure. The doctors are still hopeful that this is the cause of his extended nausea. We are all praying that this surgery will give him relief from the constant pressure and freedom from nausea!
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| Loves his Daddy |
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| Bath Time |
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| Ari is doing much better sitting in his therapy chair. |
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| My Favorite Hobby |
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| Who needs food? Our refrigerator is full of TPN and medicine. We are so thankful that this is even possible. |
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| Ahhh, that face! |
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Nap Time
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