Late Tuesday night, we pulled into our driveway and sighed deeply. I love home. I love ceilings that don't have creaky pipes, beds that are soft with high thread count sheets, walls and doors that provide privacy, and bathrooms and showers that are NOT communal. Oh, how good it felt to shower in our own shower!
We are exhausted and we feel like we're back in the infant stage. William needs potassium iodide every 4 hours to protect his thyroid from the radiation. This will continue for the next month. We set our alarms and sleep lightly. I wake frequently wondering if I've missed the alarm or if it's time for the next dose. But it's all worth it. Right?
William had an MIBG scan on Tuesday afternoon before we headed home. The purpose was to see the uptake of the MIBG in the neuroblastoma cells. There was the possibility that new locations of cancer cells could be evident since a much higher dose of MIBG was administered. We waited anxiously on Wednesday for the results. We are pleased to announce that no new sites were found and the spot on his pelvis appears to be gone. However, there are still active cells in his liver and a small amount near the resection site along his spine with the continued likelihood of an involved lymph node. Our realistic hope is that the MIBG will destroy all cells, revealing no evidence of disease (a good remission) in his future scans scheduled in January, just before his stem cell transplant.
Otherwise, William is feeling good and trying to remember to sit away from his brothers for another week. It is hard to remember sometimes that he needs to stay away because he feels reasonably well. Please don't get nervous being around him; the precautions are only in place for extended exposure to him. You could hang out next to him for 8 hours and get less radiation from him than you would on an airplane from the atmosphere. It's all a little crazy and my head still spins a bit from the crash course on radiation. Talk to Ryan if you want a more scientific, detailed explanation.
Did I mention how good it feels to be home?
It was so good to get Will home, and to be there to see it. I'm so glad he and grandpa got to skate together. I'm also glad glad we left BEFORE the big storm over the Sierras! I think I slept for 2 days after we got bak. I still don't know how you and Ryan do it. Loves to you both. And five of the cutest boys ever. i miss them.
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