Day 162: Another Treatment Completed

Things have been busy the past 2 weeks since our last update. Rest assured that the lack of updates is not for bad reasons, just a lot going on.

Following our last hospital stay to monitor Cristian’s kidney functions there were several tests ran to determine the extent of his injury. Normal lab blood work was performed and once again showed his Creatinine levels were high. The next step was a nearly all day test called GloFlo where they add a specific amount of chemicals into Cristian’s body and then draw blood at set intervals to determine the rate at which his kidneys are able to filter. This is the most accurate test available to determine kidney function. Luckily Cristian did great while the tests were going on and the GloFlo test came back showing kidney function was normal.

The day after the GloFlo test was performed, but before we received the results, we returned to the clinic so they could give him extra fluids as a precaution. During the visit we spoke with the doctors around other potential causes for his high creatinine levels. This ultimately led us to talk about Cristian’s diet where we discussed that he eats bacon, a lot of bacon, 3-4 packs of bacon a day. Not joking. Once the doctors heard this, and took into account how well his Creatinine levels drop after receiving fluids, they were fairly convinced that the source of his high levels were diet related and not the result of a kidney injury. The recommended course of action, cut back on the bacon lol.

With this new information we scaled Cristian’s bacon intake down to 1 pack per day and have seen immediate improvements in his creatinine levels. Who knew there is such a thing as too much bacon.

This takes us up to Tuesday where Cristian went in to receive treatment 2 of 4 for this phase. Remember that this phase has Cristian in the hospital for a 2-4 day stay each time to receive a high dose of chemo over 24 hours followed by additional drugs to get the chemo out. So we arrived at the hospital on Tuesday and they immediately began giving Cristian fluids to help hydrate and protect his kidneys from the incoming chemo. During the day Cristian did great and was all over the room playing.

That evening however Cristian did experience several nausea spells and had to use the doggy bag. This was no fun for him or for us to watch without being able to help much. The nurses were able to give several rounds of anti-nausea meds in increasing strength, until he finally got some relief and was able to sleep. The rest of the 24 hour dose saw numerous visits from the nurses and doctors to monitor Cristian. While we appreciate the attention, this does make sleep nearly impossible.

Following the 24 hour dose it was all about pumping fluids and watching the chemo levels drop in his blood. Once we got to day 2 the doctors began adding the additional drug to expedite the chemo leaving the body. This is a planned part of the process and helps prevent kidney injury and mouth sores.

This treatment Today we got to the point where it was safe for Cristian to go home. By the time we left Cristian was happy to go home but very tired. When we got home Cristian went to his room and spent the afternoon there with his toys.

We hope Cristian’s energy returns tomorrow and we can have a quality weekend together.

We appreciate your continued prayers for no more chemo and complete healing and restoration for Cristian. Thank you all!