Orlando!

As I write this, Stephen and Patrick are in Orlando with our dear friends, Scott and Cannon. They are staying at the Nickelodeon Hotel, and the boys were thrilled about getting slimed. They are visiting Legoland today, and to say that Patrick is excited is a vast understatement! Tomorrow, they will fish the St. John’s River and then cheer the Dawgs onto an SEC Championship victory (a tall order, but you gotta believe!). Patrick has been begging to go fishing since missing his annual fall fishing trip in October. I am so happy he feels well enough to enjoy this opportunity!!

Patrick’s treatment in November went well with only a few bumps in the road. He experienced a colossal headache coupled with nausea and an impressive nosebleed that landed us an extra night in the hospital. CT and MRI showed no brain bleeds (a known side effect of his treatment) or other reasons for concern, and we have chalked up the incident to a severe migraine. It was very stressful to see him in so much pain and wait on the scan results, but luckily everything resolved over the weekend. We are hoping that the dosage of his next round will not be affected by this event.

So, next week is scan week… My stomach is already in knots. He will have various tests culminating in an MIBG Wednesday morning. Please pray that the scans will show that his disease is stable or improved. If his scans are good, he will be admitted the following Monday for another round of treatment here in Atlanta. It has been so nice to stay here for treatment despite our love for the CHOP team. The doctors and nurses here at CHOA have been equally wonderful, and it is lovely to be able to see each other during the treatment week. We even managed to celebrate what Anna called my 27th birthday in the hospital cafeteria as a family during treatment week. I wouldn’t have traded that humble dinner together for the fanciest celebration in the world!

I will post scan results Wednesday… hopefully good news!

Erin