Welcome to our CaringBridge site. It has been created to keep friends and family updated about our loved one.
This is a site for family and friends of TJ's to see what's going on with him and can leave him messages.
2nd time around:(4years later)
After a routine checkup, a odd spot showed up in TJ's lung. So a Cat scan and Pet scan were ordered. The Pet scan showed his lymph nodes on both sides of his neck were 'hot'. So we seen the head/neck oncologist who thought one of the nodes looked suspicious and we had it removed on July 5th. On July 13 we were called with the news that the node came back as having tested positive for Hodgkins. Here we go again..........
On Febuary 17th, 2008 we noticed a lump on TJ's neck. It hadn't been there very long but had grown a lot since he had discovered it. It didn't hurt, so he didn't say anything to us.
So off to the doctor we went. They did xray's and had us go see a surgeon. Between the doctors and the radiologist they were pretty sure it was Hodgkins Lymphoma. So the following day we did a biopsy of the lymphnode, biopsy of the bone marrow and implanted a groshong port (so he could receive chemo etc).
The next day we went to UNMC in Omaha to see a pediatric oncologist. They were pretty sure it was Hodgkins, but had to wait and see what pathology reports said. After many more radiology test and labs, it was determined that he has Hodgkins Lymphoma Stage 3AS.
Stage 3 means the cancer is in many areas. He has it in both sides of his neck, his chest, one underarm and in his spleen. "A" means he didn't have typical symptoms of Hodgkins and the "S" means it is in the spleen.
Survival rate is 85-90% with 6 months of chemotherapy with a possibility of radiation at the end. So on Febuary 28 we started chemo. That was a 17 hour day. We had chemo 3 days in a row and then he takes Neupogen shots on the days he doesn't get chemo. We were back on March 5 for another shot of chemo.
Each cycle is 21 days long. After 2 cycles of chemo we will retest to see if TJ is a rapid responder or a slow responder. Then at least 2 more rounds after that.
He has had a little nauseau and vomiting but it could be alot worse. He is extremely tired and we have fought anemia with a blood transfusion on the third day of chemo. We are now waiting for is white blood cells to bottom out. That is when his immunity will be extremely low and we will have to watch that he doesn't catch anything. Doctor warned us that if he gets any fever or just doesn't feel well, they will put him in the hospital for 5-7 days for IV antibiotics. We do not want that to happen.
We want to thank every one for the love and support. We have found that we are rich in family and friends who care for us. Feel free to leave messages for TJ. He would love to hear from you all.
Happy new year Everyone! Just wanted to give everyone an update on what's going on. On Feb 7th I had my normal round of scans and they showed nothing had grown and everything looked stable. Mom and I were ecstatic! She and my little niece Charlie came down for my oncology appointment on the 14th and everyone at the clinic thought she was adorable. Can't argue with them, she is pretty cute. Still doing physical therapy for my right hand weakness. It's not 100%,but I have been using it alot more than before. The doctor thought it was alright for me to get scanned again in three months. That will be a nice long break. I have also been given the ok to start driving again. Just have to be super careful because I'm a little rusty. Thank you for all your prayers and blessings. It means the world to me and my family.
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