Josef has to undergo 6 months of chemotherapy that is comprised of 3 medications: vincristine, actinomycin, and cyclophosphamide. His treatments are given to him every friday. He will receive vincristine on every occasion and only receive the other 2 drugs every 3rd week. On those weeks were he will be given all 3 drugs he will be admitted for observation. Radiation therapy is also scheduled for a later date in the second phase of chemotherapy.
Phase 3 (clean-up) : I'm sorry that it's been so long since I updated the site. This last phase has gone by so fast! Tomorrow is August 26....and that is the date for Josef's final chemo treatment! It's a big one...so he'll be in the clinic for a little over an hour.
This is a very happy / hectec and worryful time. Josef is finishing chemo which is so awesome...he'll be growing his dark brown hair back and soon he'll be heading off (next door) for his first day of kindergarden! His soccer league at the YMCA started up last week and he got to meet his team! Games are every saturday in the afternoon! We are so proud of our little champ for what he's accomplished and what he's been able to endure. His first MRI and CTs are scheduled in 2 weeks....keep praying hard for our Josef!
Phase 2 (5 week radiation therapy) : I'm not exactly sure what week were are at...I lost track due to the hectic schedule of Joey's radiation and just household events that transpired over the past few weeks. We are delighted to say that Joey went through Phase 2 of his treatment without a hitch. 5 weeks of radiation...unsedated and as happy as he could be. Joey made alot of friends in the radiology department and we are grateful to each and everyone of them for the care that they showed to us and our little champ! Now driving to Cleveland every weekday for 5 weeks was a tiring task for Stephanie, and she's elated that this part is finally over as am I....I know how busy the traffic can be on the route she took...so I don't have to worry about her crazy driving!
So here we are.....pretty much what you can call the final leg of the race. The first 2 had their ups and downs, but if I know Joey he'll get through this like he has everything else. He's got most of August and he's done with his cancer treatments.....yep.....August 26th is the last one! He'll be receiving his usual vincristine every week....and another Chemo drug called Dactinomycin every 2nd week. This takes an hour to administer and will make the peach fuzz on Joey's head go away for a little while. When it's all over he'll have to get another MRI and a CT of the chest...and we'll find out if everything worked....so keep praying!!! god bless!
Week 11: We started out week 11 with great news! the CT scan was CLEAR! and the MRI showed ZERO growth! Our prayers are being answered everyday! He's such a little champ, he's gone un-sedated through two procedures that any normal 5 year old would require sedation. He had his radiation mask fitted today and it looks like that phase for josef will be a piece of cake. He's not afraid of his treatments and he will go through them wide awake without any sedation!
Weeks 8, 9 & 10: Back on track with a big chemo on the 20th. He was nonstop till 11pm and was a little sluggish in the morning, but by the time afternoon rolled around he was up-and-at 'em like nothing ever hit him. He was feeling so good that we where able to join in on Nana's 92nd birthday.
Usual round of Vincristin on the 27th. He's had alot of energy lately. He amazes me every day with his drive and heart. This situation is gonna make him a strong little man.
June 3rd brought on a planned trip to the Cleveland Zoo following Chemo. There's a video up in the Movies section we want everyone to check out. Josef has taken up photography! Sometimes there are highs, sometimes there are lo's. The day after Josef came down w/ a fever. We spent most of Saturday in the ER up in Cleveland, and after his antibiotic was administered he was feeling good. Then a normal day around the house, in which Monday bought on another fever. He was brought to the Northside ER to get some blood cultured (which showed no infection). He was set for home administered antibiotics. Tuesday Josef was de-accessed and 2 hours later began running another fever. That night we took him back to Northside ER and again he was given antibiotics. He was sent home later that night.
Big day for Josef is this Friday the 10th! This will be the Final "Bomb" treatment, from here on out he will only receive the Vincristine from clinic and be sent home! Also he is scheduled for an MRI and a CT to see where we are in our journey. This will give us a good idea of how well the fist stage of Chemo have gone! KEEP PRAYING FOR JOSEF!
Week 5: Week 4 started out rough, but by Thursday he was up and running full force! It was great to see him acting normal and playing with all the energy he had before all this started. He was also eating like a madman, he ate half of my sirloin when we went out to eat! On Friday he had his normal round of chemo, and some changes were talked about for his diet. He's been slowly losing weight and Ann Watts, Joe's Nurse Practitioner gave us a regimen of what Josef should be eating. Whole milk, buttery foods, fatty foods, whatever food there is out there to plumpin' the little man back up! All is well as of Saturday and Josef is doing great!
Week 4: Today is the 2nd round of all 3 Chemo drugs. Stephanie calls it "The Bomb", because the last time he received all 3 he was just KO 'd for days. We're kind of expecting the same results, that he'll be in the hospital for a few days and not want to do much. He receives his Chemo at 2pm and to our amazement this doesn't even phase him. Josef goes nonstop playing till almost 10pm. The next morning Josef's sickness is minimal and he sleeps most of the day, but this is a completely different outcome than we expected. We're happy that Josef get's released on Saturday night and we're home relaxing!
Week 3: Another round of vincristine at the clinic on Friday and another day of resting. Josef seems down in the dumps all day Saturday. Mom and Dad are worried he won't feel good enough to have his Birthday party on Sunday, so Mommy brings over his birthday present. Josef sees it and his mood does a 360! It's amazing what a little motivation does to a kids spirits! Now we can't get him to stop talking about his new ATV. He spends most of the day asking and getting rides on his 4 wheeler and enjoys all the company he gets at his 5th Birthday Party! Daddy and Josef also got brand new cool haircuts! Who knew Josef was such a great barber!
Week 2: For the next 2 weeks Josef would only receive the dose of vincristine at the clinic and be sent home to recuperate. He got home and it was business as usual w/ playing and watching movies! The next morning he was pretty tired and spent most of the day vegging out watching cartoons. This week also marked the first week back at day care. Josef was excited and happy to see his friends!
Week 1: Josef's first week of Chemo was especially rough. He had undergone 2 days of tests and Surgery and was already feeling pretty sore, not to mention he was still under the weather due to the URI. They started his chemo in the afternoon and he was pretty much out cold for the next 2 and a half days. He was either sleeping or getting sick (which we thought was due to all the drainage from his URI), and his mood was somber, never cracking his usual smile or notorious giggle. On Monday morning he was pretty much the same, and we were pushing to get him home with the hopes that he'd perk up seeing the dogs and his toys. I was finally able to crack a smile and knew he was ready to go!
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