Decisions, decisions...

This weeks treatment went pretty well. Reiss received vincristine (chemo) through his port and he also got his last lumbar puncture for a little while (4 weeks). This was his fourth one in a row! Yikes! Everything went well. His ANC was really low... only 38, so they have to be careful he doesn't get sick. His poor little mouth has had sores for a few days. They think the sores are caused by a virus he is catching as a result of the low ANC. He seems to be doing better now, and is not complaining about his mouth hurting. The biggest discussion was regarding the PEG chemo (that he received last week and had an allergic reacion to). The options are:

1) Choose to not give the PEG chemo, or any other alternative, and hope he doesn't relapse.
2) Use a different kind of chemo that must be administered Monday, Wednesday, Friday at PCMC only- for two weeks at a time.
3) Try the PEG again in one month and hope miraculously he doesn't have another allergic reaction. Maybe the reaction was a fluke?

The decision is up to Amber and Kenny, and none of the choices are easy. Number one isn't even an option as they obviously don't want to risk any kind of relapse. Number two is hard because that means Amber will have to drive Reiss to SLC  (over 4 hours round trip) every other day for 2 weeks at a time. His home health nurse, and the hospital in Price, are not equipped to administer this medication. This option isn't great because of the logistics regarding the other children at home, and the miles traveled.
The last option probably isn't even a possibility. Chances are he would still be allergic, but at least they would know for sure. So these are the options they are weighing and trying to decide upon.

Overall Reiss is doing pretty good. His leg has been achy, and it's hard to say if its from the chemo (which can cause sore joints and muscles), or something else.  He continues to be active and mobile and  gets stronger everyday! We are praying his ANC will go up since he must be at 750 to receive treatment on Monday.  It's a big jump to go from 38 to 750 so please keep that in your prayers.

He has an exciting weekend ahead! Amber and Kenny are assembling the new play set for their very fun back yard, and Reiss will celebrate his 3rd Birthday! I hope its a happy one for that little Reiss man! Sure wish we could be there to celebrate with him!