Thirty Days and Waiting

We have been told before that at some point in time, Otto would develop a fever and would need to be back at the hospital. Last night, after a visit with friends, we took Otto back to Yale due to a high fever. The birthday boy had to go to the Emergency Room and was later admitted to Floor 7. So here’s the scoop. Otto has develop a bacterial infection. Test results are leaning towards an infection that is a result of every day bacteria that forms on our bodies. Due to his low ANC level, it turned into an infection his body cannot fight alone. So he’s on some antibiotics until his fever and bacterial infection is gone. He also needs to wait for his ANC level to rise before he’s allowed to go home again. Although this is a frustrating bump in the road, we are trying to view it as just that. The good thing is out of all the bacterial infections you can get, this is the one you want. So, no worries. But prayers are very welcome! Mark, Leigh, Otto, Tess and Lulu

Otto had a pretty good day yesterday. He was outside here and there enjoying some golf swinging for some time. Today Otto is 13. It’s crazy to think that so much time has passed since this guy entered the world. Today is also a Clinic day. After waiting for numbers to come in, we found out that he needed some more platelets and red blood cells. He must have really outdid himself playing golf! Lol! So, we are almost done after being hooked up to bags for almost 6 hours. Some people might feel bad, but no worries. He had to get Benadryl prior to starting due to Tuesday’s hive reaction, so he has slept through almost the whole thing. He’s hoping to get to see some people tonight and this weekend. This chemo may be hitting him a little more than before, but he won’t let it stop him from hanging out with some of his buds. Thanks to all of you who sent him well wishes. Another thank you for the prayers and positive vibes as we continue to wait for those numbers to rise. Mark, Leigh...

What we thought would be a quick counts check turned into spending the day at the Yale Clinic.  Otto ended up needing platelets and red blood cells.  Midway through platelet transfusion, Otto had an allergic reaction to them.  This prolonged our stay a bit.  They needed to take care of the reaction and them send for a Rohgam (spelling?) shot.  Once things settled, Otto started his red blood cells and all was good.  This journey is starting to be known as the rollercoaster marathon (lol). Now we are home and resting.  We are having a follow up appointment on Friday to check counts once again.  He may need some more blood products before the long weekend.  Praying all goes well the next few days! Mark, Leigh, Otto, Tess and Lulu

So today was the first day of school. Tess was off to middle school and Lulu was back to elementary school. Although Otto wasn’t heading in with tess and the others, he decided to come out for “first day” pictures. Otto hung out at home, trying to handle the free effects of chemo with grace and dignity. He’s still having moments of nausea and all that comes with it. Our boy is a fighter, but hopefully with prayers, he’s going to start feeling better.  He’s only on Day 11 and counts won’t come back up until Day 23ish. Here’s to hopefully a good night! Mark, Leigh, Otto, Tess and Lulu

Early this morning we were awoken by Otto.  O-man had another nose bleed.  We waited about 20 minutes to see if it could resolve itself with some techniques from the ENT the other day, but no luck.  At 3:30am, Mark and Otto were off to Yale. Otto ended up needing some more platelets along with a consultation with the ENT.  After some discussion of options that were out there, Otto ended up getting the specific area giving him trouble cauterized.  We truly do not know where he gets his strength, but he bravely conquered this obstacle in his way.  As of now, Otto is hanging out at Yale waiting to be discharged once Mark talks to the attending oncologist. This 3rd round is certainly throwing us for a loop in regards to his recovery process at home.  We were once again reminded of the importance of being as secure from others in large crowds as possible (especially now that school is starting).  We are not allowed to have visitors who are sick and...

Hoping you all are having a great weekend.  School is literally just around the corner, so we are trying to gear up the girls for Tuesday.  This also means home bound tutoring will start soon for Otto.  In either case, school will be in session and that portion of "normal" life will return.  Otto has been feeling ok this weekend.  We are determining that any red juices (Powerade, Gatorade) are not agreeing with his stomach.  We are trying to stick more so with water.  Other things that are starting to pop up are finding other foods he might enjoy.  Unfortunately, his "staples" are tasting a little bland to him these days.  We really attribute this to the chemo.  His eyes and itchiness are better this weekend, which makes us think that the effects of chemo are wearing off some.  We are hoping the nausea will go away, too.  Other than that, spirits are high.  We are trying our best to do things together as a family, bu...

It was an early morning release today, and Otto came home!  What a great feeling to be back all under one roof yet again. Although we are all home, Otto is continuing to feel side effects of the chemo from this round. One thing that popped up again is light sensitivity with his eyes. He has to take steroid eye drops to prevent chemical conjunctivitis. Unfortunately it causes his eyes to feel extremely dry. So we are trying to counteract with saline. He also continues to feel itchy from one of the meds, so we are trying to battle that with Benadryl. This ends up making him tired, so he’s taking cat naps like crazy. We just keep praying that now with Round 3 over, that the side effects diminish. It’s rough seeing one of your own not quite the way they usually are. But, we keep reminding ourselves that this is a small hill to get over. It’s small potatoes in the grand scheme of life. As always, thanks for the prayers and positive thoughts. We continue to need them. With much g...