Day 334. 23/10/10 The ceremonial 1st bath since diagnosis.....Not....!

Marinating in the heated Spa.
Looks warm but it was a freezing day.........

Owen has not been able to have a bath or swim since he he was diagnosed and had his central line fitted. With his new "Port" fitted and the wound healed up, he was ready for us to run a beautiful warm bath and he could soak in it for hours. Or so we thought..
"Dad, the Grant's want me to come down for a swim in their new pool"... "Owen, it's only 12 degrees, Ok. 15 minutes to half an hour"...
4.5 hours later, he was back and happy... Much to his mother's annoyance (She was out shopping all afternoon)
Life is normal... Sort of...

Day 330. 19/10/10 The Beaded Journey continues.

The Beaded Journey.


Sitting in a wheel chair, 5 hours after the Big Operation
 in Day Oncology waiting for some Chemo.
Having an ice cream as a reward.....

 For those that do not know, when a child is diagnosed with cancer at Royal Childrens, a psychologist becomes Owen's friend and counselor. She constantly catches up with Owen and just chats about everything. She also starts a string of beads. This becomes the child's beaded journey which they hang from their pump poles and carry around with them. Each bead represents a medical procedure or a significant event and the counselor hands them to Owen and he puts them on his string. They talk about what happened and it is a reminder of how much he has endured and how far he has come. An ongoing bravery award and something that touches people. It is only used on the Cancer Ward, as it is funded by a Charity called the Koala Foundation.
I had Owen count his beads and procedures for me.
In the last 11 months he has had the following:
81 Finger pricks
33 Units of blood or platelets (Unbelievable....)
72 Chemo medications put into his central line
21 Operations
41 Bloods taken from his central line or with needles for testing

Progress......
He is doing well. Last week was a full week at School...... I cannot remember the last time that happened.. His temps seem to be normalising. No winter pyjamas and doonas with quilts on top on warm nights. We have been told that that his neurophils are dropping with the oral medication, so to keep up hand hygiene and watch his temps. But... All is good....!

Day 322. 11/10/10 Line changeover operation update.

Dr Monkey, Collingwood scarf, bandanna. Ready to go.

 Tuesday last week we were in a Royal Childrens at 7am, and had to wait until 11.30 for Owen's Op. His op was not as simple as the others that went in before him. It is a test of patience and Owen proved that he is made of the right stuff. The Op went for 1 hour. It was a big one in a big theatre and it took 4 hours for Owen to wake up properly. The pain was terrible but we were home by 7pm that night. He has healed nicely since and went off to school today after 4 days off last week from the pain around his new Port. But Owen, as always, never complains about it. He is not happy with the pain, but soldiers on. He is the "Worker". There is a job to be done, so he just gets on with it. We do not need to go back for another month if his health remains good. And a long luxurious bath is awaiting him soon.....

Power port. The latest tchnology. This is under his skin. It has a plastic front which they push needles into. It hurts when needles go in, but he can swim with it.

5/10/10 Central line changeover.

Well, I thought things were going to slow down. Owen's health has been good though he does have ups and downs. He will be working like a demon for hours in the backyard, then I will find him under a blanket, in the middle of the afternoon, watching television. He will go missing when he is tired, playing Lego or on his beloved laptop.
He went in this morning to surgery to get his central line changed from a "Hickman line" to a "Port".
A Port is placed under the skin. It is a covered with a membrane that needles are pushed into and it has a tube on it that goes into his jugular vein then down into the top of his heart. All his chemo and bloods will go through the his new Port. The Hickman line is a much more heavy duty central line that was fitted because of his original very bad diagnosis. Now he is in maintenance, he does not need it anymore.
Once it heals Owen will be able to have a bath, swim in a pool again and join Nippers. This will be a great achievement. This will be a great, great day...........!