Kam did amazing again with his last round of chemotherapy. The medicine cleared his system by Monday morning, and after a reassuring/unchanged EKG and echocardiogram they did for monitoring his heart, he was discharged home. The nurses and staff on the oncology floor have become almost like a second family to us. We adore them. They couldn't let Kameron leave without him leaving there in style! So they had a mini-COVID friendly celebration for him before he WALKED out of the hospital with one of his favorite nurses.
This was the first time, after getting Methotrexate, that Kam has been able to walk himself out of the hospital, since I can remember. He did not develop blisters to his hands and feet, whatsoever. A huge answer to prayer! He had a slightly irritated throat, but that cleared up by the next day with some glutamate. He was able to finish strong and with as minimal suffering as one can get with chemotherapy.
Kam walking out of the hospital after his very last chemotherapy treatment
While in the hospital his nurse assessed him, like usual. She asked how his hands and feet were and he replied, "good." Then she asked, "How's your mouth?" Kameron: (without missing a beat) "Still talks back!" A joke he has since repeated to his oncology doctor. You know Kam is feeling really well when he is extra spicy. And these amazing oncology doctors, nurses, and CNA's show up for it. God bless every single one of them!
Kam had a significant bloody nose Wednesday morning that would not stop. After the usual methods failed, I tried one last trick on him that the ENT team had taught us. Where we live COVID-19 numbers are very high and there are a lot of sick people at every ER and urgent care. So an ER visit, at this juncture, would be a huge risk to Kam and we wanted to avoid it, if at all possible. Thankfully, the ENT trick worked like a charm and he has not had a bloody nose since.
Kameron got to celebrate and formally ring the bell with a small group of his tribe support yesterday at his cancer clinic. Unfortunately, due to COVID protocols, not everyone was able to attend. So we have included the YouTube video. His labs are doing ok-- he is slightly anemic and slightly low on platelets, but this is nothing unusual for him at this juncture. Nor did it require any transfusion. He was thrilled to be able to see some people he hasn't been able to see in almost a year.
Kam walking into his clinic celebration of his last chemo
After his celebration we took him out to eat at his favorite Chinese restaurant. He got his usual, stole samples from everyone else's plate (also his usual), and he has been eating well again. We got some good fortunes from our fortune cookies, and are taking them as a good omen for Kameron's future. For dinner last night he wanted crab, lobster, and oysters and chocolate fondue for dessert. So he got them!
Kam's Fortune
Mom's fortune
Kameron's requested seafood feast
Fondue with the family. Complete with Kam dumping the brownies on Toby's plate (since that's all he'd eat.) We were laughing so hard we were crying.
Now Kameron enters into a phase of re-assessment. He had a COVID booster and flu shot today to help protect him fragile immune system, now that his chemotherapy is done. It will take 6 months for his immune system to return to a normal-ish state. He had an x-ray of his leg as well. Tomorrow he will have a MRI of his leg. And on Monday he has a bone scan and CT of the chest. He will start physical therapy again next week, this time to work on getting his strength back. He has been diligently working on his strength when he can. He showed us recently how he can take the steps now, one leg for each step, and sometimes he can even skip a step! Pretty incredible when you realize how crummy chemo makes a person feel.
We meet again with his oncologists on Thursday where he will undergo another round of lab work and we are prayerful that we will hear the words "No evidence of disease (NED)." Please join us in this prayer. If we do hear he has no evidence of disease, once his bloodwork reaches acceptable levels, they will plan to remove his port. He will then check in semi-frequently with his doctors and undergo repeat scans every 3 months.
Kam is starting to talk about his future more and more and what he plans to do next. For now he plans to work on getting stronger and working on getting his drivers license. He is considering his career and school options. Please pray for him as he is considering what his future holds for him. We are excited for him.
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