Blowin' Chunks

Greetings from room 28 at UMMC. This morning got off to a late start as Braxton and I slept in until 9 am. We did get some good news about Braxton's white blood count, as the number rose from .6 to a rousing 3.5. However, his creatinine level, which monitors his kidney function, has risen to 1.33. This number should be at .7 to .8. Braxton hasn't had a fever for 35 hours now and needs to stay that way through Thursday morning if he wants to have a chance of going home. Oh, my! Braxton can be such a pain. I am trying to concentrate, but the little dude keeps bothering me. I can't just throw him out the window. Help!!!! What can I do? I know! I can play rock em sock em robots on him. Just kidding. I love my little buddy so much. We have fun and laugh at each other. Must tell you this. Braxton's phone fell on the floor and he wanted me to pick it up. Instead, because he was annoying me, I shoved it even farther away. Braxton then took my parent badge off and threw it on the floor next to his phone. I get the last laugh, though, as Braxton has gotten two text messages while his phone has been on the floor. Ha, ha! Back to the update. If the blood counts continue to go up, the creatinine levels stay the same or go lower and no more fevers it looks as though Brax can go home Thursday. A doctor just came in and said she was being optomistic that Brax could go home so she was asking about his meds at home. Brax has to do some homework on the computer so I am logging off. I forgot to tell you about the title. Braxton is feeling much better than yesterday. However, he get sick again this morning "blowing chunks" in the sink again. When the nurse came in and saw the sink, she said, "Dear Lordy!" We had a laugh about that. Brax didn't feel sick, it just came out of nowhere. Here in lies the story of blowing chunks.

Big Bad Brad the Dad

Twins Win

How 'bout dem Twins?!!!! This is big bad Brad the dad coming at you from Braxton's hospital room. We just finished bringing the Twins home for yet another victory. Boof Bonser pitched great and Jason Kubel hit a timely 2-run homer to put the Twins ahead for good. We also did get some homework done between pitches.

Braxton is feeling a little better this evening. He had some headaches and nasuea earlier in the day, but did eat some chicken nuggets, carrots and even a special ice cream treat that good old dad picked up in the cafeteria. Braxton was also excited about getting the home version of fake spit. He says it tastes some better that the spit they have at the hospital.

Brax says that he is getting tired so I better log off. Thanks for all your continued thoughts and prayers. It is very humbling to know how many people out there are praying for Braxton.

Thank You and God Bless,

Braxton Bradley and Bradley Bruce

Inch by Inch

Hello all,
Braxton is having some ups and downs today. His white cells are rising (600) and is hemoglobin is at 10! but mouthsores seem to be starting up. We were hoping to avoid those this time but...maybe not. He has more energy and did sleep better lastnight but is still not eating much. Those dreaded mouthsores are worse than low blood, in some ways.
He laid around, yesterday, not even motivating to turn on the tv until Emily (Family Life Specialist) purposefully walked in to the room and said "Braxton sit up. What are you going to do with today?! I'll give you some choices". Praise God for Emily! She got him sitting up and he built a model car of a Hummer. It kept him busy for awhile.
Brax is hangin out with Brad today, and working on homework. (Dreaded homework!). I am back at work today and carrying on with the rest of life. Zoe has piano lessons after school and Bayley has a full afternoon and evening with play crew and a speech fundraiser event at night. Zoe will get to come along with David and I on "date night". We'll have dinner and get her outfitted for soccer. Emma is overnight with Gramma Barb and Grampa Rich.
The weather is getting better, at least for today, and thank God for the gift of sleep (ZZZZZZZZZZZZ).
-posted by Beth

A.M. update

Is it morning already?! Not much sleep lastnight for either if us. Braxton had a new (new to us) Resident (Patrick) do his admission physical lastnight. Nice man and very thorough, but nothing happens fast in a hospital at night. Chest x-rays at 9:30 pm, accessing Braxton's port (twice- because it's deep and can be hard to find ) at 11ish, and numerous people coming in for labs of all sorts. The blood transfusion started about 2 a.m. and then fever checks every 2 hours. The good news is that after 1 unit of blood Braxton's hemoglobin is up to 9, his fever dropped to 99 and his wbc's are up at 400. Still too low to do a neutraphil count, but rising nevertheless. The low count will be a factor in when he gets to come home more than the temperature or specific infection they find. Braxton just seems to get extremely neutropenic after chemo so these x-tra hospital stays may just be a pattern for him.
In the meantime, David carries on with getting girls to school. Today Gramma Barb takes Emma to swim class after preschool, I will pick Zoe up after school and try to get a nap while David comes to the U to hang out for a few hours til Brad comes for the night shift. PHEW!!We're a mostly well oiled machine...When I told Zoe that I was taking Brax back to the hospital, I observed her making her mental list of who's going to do what until I return. She seems to need to prepare herself for change and there isn't always too much time. I think she misses her brother the most. Thanks to all of you who have provided meals and gift cards, we still have a supply to pull from!!!
We continue to pray for patience and to find humor in these long boring days for Braxton. Anybody know any jokes? :)

p.s.

Labs came back tonite and Braxton's white count is 200. Pretty low. Hemoglobin has dropped to 7 so, he's going to get a blood transfusion while he sleeps. Hopefully, he will have more energy and a lower heart rate in the morning. Please continue to pray for Braxton during this time.
-posted by Beth

Back To The U.

Hello friends,
Braxton has just been admitted back to the U of M after spiking a fever this evening. He's had a good run of 5 days at home since his last chemo treatment so we're stunned and sad that he has to come back so soon. He has been feeling well with no fevers and even went to church this morning. He, then, spent the afternoon hanging out with John L. but was feeling tired all afternoon. When he came home he went straight to the couch and slept for 2 hours before I woke him up to check his temp. Very disappointing to see it go to 102.1! So, here we are getting blood cultures drawn and anti-biotics starting for 48 hours. We'll see what happens from there. He had the Neulasta injection on friday so, hopefully, his white cells haven't dropped too low. Braxton is very tired so he'll be going to sleep after they get him all hooked up and finish with pokes.
David has the kids, and I am staying up to read, do some homework, and contemplate how quickly circumstances can change. It's difficult to catch up sometimes. What day is it? The hospital is too familiar a place.
P.s. Happy 4th birthday to nephew Nolan Sharkey (4/26)! The family had a party, in Illinois, today.
- posted by Beth

Quotable quotes

Braxton-" It's day 46 at home with no school. I'm slipping into insanity..."
"You're trying to kill me! Reading, writing, and gargling with artificial spit! AAAAHHH!"
"Why does everyone tell me that I have a nice shaped head? What does that mean?!"
"Stop rubbing my head! Go shave your own!"
"I'm in the mood for something chocolatey and delicious...let's go to Target!"
-posted by Beth (the archiver of silly things to remember)

rainy days

Hi again,
It's me, Braxton. I got out of the hospital on tuesday and have been with my dad til today. We went golfing 9 holes and just hung out. I had another spinal tap this morning but am not feeling sick this time. I'm home enjoying some time by myself before my sister's come home. Thanks to everyone who's writing and sending cards. I like to hear from everyone.
I'm just hangin out at home and happy to not be in the hospital.
posted by me!

monday news, late

Braxton had an up and down day yesterday. Nausea kicked in and he spent much of the day being sick or sleeping. :( He did have his spinal tap in the afternoon, which was very cool to watch! Dr. Burke made the procedure look so smooth and simple. He was deep in concentration feeling around for the right entry into Braxton's spinal colomn (SP?) with the long needle tap, while the nurse and anesthetist commented on Dr. Burke's tie and talked about favorite soft drinks. Hospitals can be quirky. We got back from the tap and braxton just kept getting sick. He was able to rest and take a 4 hour nap. I left when Brad arrived and prayed for Brax all the way home in the rain and thunder.
Braxton gets to come home today! Yeah!

Day 39: News From the Homefront

While Braxton spent time at the hospital getting loopy on Prednisone and beating his Mom at Set, the girls and I had a busy weekend at home.

It wasn't a "Circus Weekend," but we did get to see Paul & Gretchen on Saturday. Gretchen had a dance competition at the Convention Center in downtown Minneapolis this weekend. So Zoe, Emma, and I drove down to see one of her dances and were joined by my Mom and my sister Jennifer.

Gretchen was amazing. I cannot believe how much she has improved in a year! She has worked very very hard. Her team practices 2-3 times a week, often practicing for four hours or more on Saturdays. But the hard work has really paid off. Her team is quite good (and I am not one bit biased!).

Saturday afternoon, Zoe invited her friend Madeline over and we went to the YMCA to swim at their big pool in Andover. Unfortunately the pool closed fifteen minutes after we got there due to some mysterious substance found floating in the infant pool. (Just like Caddyshack)

So Madeline decided to stay overnight. We rented Bee Movie for Zoe and Madeline and we rented a Scooby Doo movie for Emma. We also stopped at DQ and got Blizzards for everybody.

Sunday was a glorious day in the Twin Cities. After an eternal wait for spring, we finally hit 70 degrees Sunday afternoon. I took Bayley, Zoe, and Emma to the dog park in Minneapolis (along with Sunny & Rufus, of course). The park was packed as Minnesotans came out of their houses to explore this strange phenomeneon of sun and warmth. Of the many beautiful dogs at the dog park, the girls enjoyed a huge Saint Bernard the most.

Sunday evening I took Emma over to the park to play with Grandma. Fun was had by all!

Now it's Monday and the house is empty. School for the girls and work for me. Booooo!!!!


+ posted by David

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. It's me, Braxton. My mom said that I was high last night because of my drugs and that I am high right now. Last night I whooped my mom's butt at a card game called "Set". She said it was because I was high and she was tired. Today John and Bethany Lundeen came to visit. John was obsessed with rubbing my head because he said it felt cool. Later we went to the teen room and played a weird game that I forgot the name to. John would keep on rubbing my head for luck, I got kind of scared. After we finished the game, we started watching t.v. After a little while John and Bethany left and my mom and sister, Bayley, came. Now when I am done here I have to start my homework. I will talk to you all later. BYE!

late night, early morning

Braxton is still sleeping but the hospital noises have woken me up. He's learned to sleep through it all, even when they come in at 7 a.m. to take blood from his port line. The people who clean the room come in at 7:15, breakfast arrives by 7:30 and the daily doctor team comes in by 8. Sometimes the docs will try to see Braxton later in the morning because they know that he's a 12 hour sleeper. The moms and dads begin to parade down to the Family Lounge around 6 a.m. for coffee.There's not alot of sleep for parents...5B is pretty quiet, but 5C (neo-natal ICU) is full.
Braxton had a good day, yesterday. He was hooked up for most of the day and had 3 chemo treatments. Cytophospahamide is a 15 minute drip 2x a day on saturday through monday then Brax started his 6 hr. Doxorubicin infusion just saturday. There's no roaming the hospital while on chemotherapy so we stayed put and filled our time. Discovery Channel is Braxton's favorite and he's gotten hooked on a song they play during commercials alot ( "I love the earth" song- anyone else know it?) Braxton finished his science homework, played Gateway Games on the laptop, I worked on my homework, we played Battleship (I won ;) ), played PSP...more homwork...more games... more tv...then I decided to take a walk to DQ! One of us had to get out of the room!
Braxton was, finally, unhooked from chemo about 10:30 pm. We celebrated by going up to the cafeteria for more ice cream :). Braxton is also on Prednisone, this time, which makes him antsy, talkative and hungry. We got involved in a game of SET much too late for me, but Brax was wide awake! SET is a card game of visual acuity and challenges you to find sets of 3 patterns on cards. It's harder than it sounds, especially late at night when one player is past her bedtime and the other player is on drugs. The lights went off after midnight sometime. So...Braxton is still alseep and I'm heading down to the lounge for coffee ( I forgot to bring my tea).
It's supposed to be warm and brighter, here, today. We'll see where he roams, when he wakes up!
-"...blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him."- Jer. 17:

Back InThe Bighouse 2

We're back for round 3! Braxton's kidney's are not back to full strength (about 2/3 better) but Dr. Burke (and the team) have decided to keep him on the chemo schedule and just eliminate the methotrexate chemo drug for this round. It's a heavy hitter and, mostly, responsible for the mouth sores. Braxton's kidneys can't handle it this time but he will have it in May.
Braxton had a pretty good day on the floor today. Beth and Nate (from church) came to visit for a couple hours. They talked for a bit and played SET: The Family Game of Visual Perception. Brax liked it! Thanks for coming by! Braxton's favorite nurse aide, Mike, is with him today. He's a young goofy guy. Likes to talk sports and video games. We have a window bed again and no roomate again. The other bed in the room is a crib...hopefully we won't have a baby moving in for the weekend.
Braxton is playing with his new PSP, given to him by the Hope For Henry Foundation at the hospital. They provide gifts for all of the kids in long term care because "hospitals can be boring". Henry was a little boy who died from a blood desease when he was 7. The foundation sponsors many of the family events, here, on the peds floor.
Braxton is in good spirits and has a great rapport with the nurses. David is geared up for a weekend of single parenting. Thanks to friends, our refrigerator is stocked! And the Y pool is nearby for entertainment.
Thankyou, Sue, for gifts for Braxton and all of us too! The prayer shawl is beautiful and a great companion to Braxton's prayer quilt. Both made by women from rural Sout Dakota churches and recieved, ironically, on the same day! Stitched with prayers, they are very special.
have a good weekend everybody...
-posted by Beth

more later...

Thanks, Grandma Kinner & Church!

Braxton received a prayer quilt made by members of his Grandmother's church in South Dakota. Each tassel represents a prayer that has been offered for his healing.

Thank you, all!


+ posted by David

To BE!

Braxton will have chemotherapy tomorrow. His kidneys are not functioning at full strength. They are at, about, two thirds functioning. Dr. Burke is re-formatting the chemo regimen to be not as strong as the round that caused his WBC's to crash. The anti-biotics that he recieved for his last infections did not work well with his kidneys. So, Brax goes in tomorrow at 8 and we continue to pray for health.
more tomorrow.
-posted by Beth

Day 35: To Admit or Not to Admit

Braxton is at the hospital this morning for some tests prior to hs next admission for chemo. He was originally scheduled to be admitted today, but with the infections he had last week, and due to the antibiotics used to treat them, his kidney function has been low. His doctors want to make sure that his kidneys are functioning normally and that the infections are gone before beginning the next round of chemo.

So today is a day of "hurry up and wait." Braxton will be at the hospital most of the morning submitting to various tests. Then he will come home this afternoon and wait to hear the results. If all is well, Braxton will be admitted tomorrow for his next round of chemo. If something is not back to normal, then he will wait a few days before going back to the hospital.

In the mean time, thanks to all of you who have left comments - Braxton loves to read them! (And we do too)

Also, great big thanks to all of you who have brought food to our home. Life has been a little bit easier without having to worry about meals - especially since I would have been the one responsible for many of those meals! :-)


+ Posted by David

To Be or NOt To Be?

hey bloggers!

It's 9:20 and Braxton and I are hanging out at the Bruegger's by the U. hospital. We came, this morning, to have a kidney functioning test but EVERYTHING gets backed up even if you start at 7 a.m... The test calls for 4 blood draws every 40 minutes plus a visit to Dr. Burke (he's our cancer doc). We're having bagels and coke for breakfast :). Braxton burps and the carbination goes up his nose. "Whoaa!! I wasn't expecting that!" he says. "It just feels so weird!" We're sad because the DQ next door doesn't open til 11 (!) so we can't go get breakfast dessert. I guess Braxton's appetite is back! Tuesday night Brad grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for the kids and Brax ate 2 hamburgers, 2 hotdogs then went out to Cold Stone Creamery for dessert!! Those pounds he lost last week will, happily, pile back on.

Anyway, the kidney test will tells us if Brax can have chemo tomorrow or wait another week. We ran into Dr. Lund (our oncology fellow of the month) in the hospital basement where nuclear med is) and he said that changing a chemo schedule requires more paper work than buying a house. BUmmer! We'll know tonite by 6.

HELLO everybody! How's it going? I am doing fine. I am losing my smartiness because I have not been in school for two months, I am really bored. I am bored out of my mind. Please HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -from Braxton

ok, we're going back over the hopsital now. more later...

P.S.

Great hair cut Uncle Jeff! The crew looks good on you!!

Really Tuesday's Post

Counting down to thursday and filling the days up with fun, Braxton spent the afternoon with his dad at a driving range. Not sure if it was indoors or out but the wind may have helped drive that ball farther! Braxton is doing well right now. His counts are dropping some and his hemoglobin is low so he gets tired out quickly. Bedtime is usually before 10.
It's me Braxton, now. Thanks for writing on my blog Gramma Gay and Gramma Nancy! Mom says that neither of you has blogged before so, good job! :) I don't mind my bald head so much. It doesn't itch anymore since we shaved my hair off. Everyone tells me that it will grow back curly or a different color. We'll see...
signing off now.zzzzzzzzzzzz

Zoe in the Church Musical

Another Shaved Head - Uncle Jeff!

monday-sunny day!!

I know that the date at the top of the blog posting sayd tuesday April 15. I'm catching up from yesterday :). Braxton had a very good day! His energy level is, mostly, back to normal and he's eating regularly. Praise God! The weather had him more motivated and he, actually, comleted all of his math assignments without being prompted!! I encouraged Braxton to go sit out on the porch and get some sun later inthe day. He really enjoyed that. Springtime is an amazing gift when it finally comes. After school he and Zoe got to go to piano lessons. Things went along pretty routinely, for a change. We skipped Scouts because Braxton's WBC and nuetraphils are dropping again, a bit, and his kidney functioning isn't back to normal yet. Chemo is coming fast and we want him ready for it, so a little more isolation is necessary.
When all of the kids were home from school, the NOISE LEVEL went UP! Everything felt completely normal then. Poor mom ,trying to do homework, had to hide out:)...
more later...

Day 32: Good News & Bad News

"Well, Braxton, I have some good news and some bad news for you today.

"The good news is that you're going to get a visit from your algebra teacher."

"Geez," Braxton replied, "What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that your hair is starting to fall out."

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"We're gonna have to shave!"

******************************************************************

And so it came about that on Sunday, April 13th, Braxton was first visited by his algebra teacher in the afternoon. This was the first opportunity for Braxton since his cancer diagnosis to meet with an educator and do "normal" stuff like math. Although he would much rather be back in school, it was a good thing to be learning again.


And so it also came about that Braxton got his head shaved all the way down to the skin last night. We used my razor, which is not really meant for that sort of thing. So it took a long time, but eventually, with his Mother's loving touch, we shaved his head so it is smooth. This is an even bigger deal than the last head shave, but Braxton seems ok with it.

You're lookin' good, Braxton!!



+ posted by David

Saline & Dew: Vital Supplies for Home (2008-04-11)

Braxton & His Dad (Brad) (2008-04-05)

Shaved Head for Step-Dad (2008-04-05)

Zoe, Gretchen, Paul & Braxton at Hospital (2008-03-29)

Bayley, Braxton & Zoe (2008-03-27)

Shaving of the Head (2008-03-26)

Back To School...

Hello bloggers,
Braxton started home schooling today! He hasn't been in class since March 10 but he did pretty well! Becky Wielinski came this afternoon and got Braxton started on math. He seemed to flow right back into it, which was good for me to see.
Braxton has been carrying his fluid IV backpack around for a few days, now, and will be unplugged tomorrow ( I hope). He's been a great sport about having it and responding well to the IV shots for his infection. He's been active with his siblings and a couple of friends and has been very tired in the evenings. The rest of the week will be quieter when we all go to school and work.
Zoe had 2 performances, with her church musical cast, on friday and saturday. They performed "Good Kings Come In Small Packages", a show based on King Josiah. She had a small solo but was very good and well prepared! Yeah Zoe!!
Bayley's Moundsview Speech Team came in 2nd in their State Speech Competition. Bayley did not compete but was excited to be there to cheer her her team on!
Emma went to Zoe. C's birthday party on saturday! Lots of pre-school friends were there plus a chinchilla and a bearded lizard! Sounded fun and crazy! :)
Hey Roseville Covenant Confirmation class!! It's me Braxton- Thanks for praying for me and for sending all of the cards!! I really miss coming to youth group and sunday class. After my next chemotherapy, I might be able to come to youth group. I have to see about my blood cell counts first. Today I noticed that my hair is falling out. Pretty weird to see and kind of sad. Keep praying and I'll try to come back soon.
posted by Beth and Braxton

Yeah! There's No PLace Like Home!

Hey Everyone!
It's good to be home! I'm hangin out playing PS2 and watching tv. I had a friend over to play games for a couple of hours and now I'm really tired. Bringing my IV backpack everywhere I go is a bummer. I hope to get rid of it on monday. Thanks, everyone who signed the poster Mrs. Weilinski brought to my house! It's fun to try to read it but hard with the names upside down.
Hey I hope all of you on the New Orleans trip had a great time! I'm sure the weather was better than here!! Somebody write and tell me about it.
keep on writing...I'm home til thursday then back at the U. for chemo round #3. I start my homeschooling on sunday but I'd rather be in the classroom!
Braxton

Libera, Braxton!

4/9/08

Hello everyone. It's me, Braxton. GO JAYHAWKS!!!!! Wow, what a game. That buzzer beater three pointer was really cool. When the Jayhawks made that three, my dad jumped up and screamed. I am feeling much better and I might be able to go home today. My dad and I just finished watching The Price is Right and there was this really crazy girl who won the show case. She scared me a little bit. Okay, that's all I have. Talk to you guys later.

still hangin' out...

Hey everyone,
It's day 5 of Braxton's visit to the U. Everyday we hope that the doctor will say that Brax can come home, but...not yet. Today Braxton's fever spiked up over 100.5 again. Everyday over 100.5 means another day in the hospital. His kidney functioning is better but they're still searching for the right anti-biotic combination. Braxton is drinking milkshakes, but not eating. It will all improve soon. Brad is at the hospital for his shift until thursday then I take over again.
On the homefront, Emma is very excited to have passed Pre-school Screening to go to Kindergarten and is doing very well in swim class and dance. She has a big spring recital in May. Zoe is winding down rehearsels for the youth church musical on friday and saturday. She has a small solo and and a part. Bayley wrote poetry for her Creative Writing class which got very high marks and kudos from her teacher. I have decided to stay with my Graduate program schedule with my next class beginning on thursday afternoon. Bethel is willing to give me very generous accomodations to get through the class and stay with my co-hort. So, I'll give it a try.
David traveled to Cold Spring, this morning, for a Parent Day at Gretchen and Paul's school. They played homemade games and David got to see their work and classrooms. Allof the kids will be home this weekend and we hope that will include Braxton!
I hope that you all are well too!
-posted by Beth

Day 26: Smiles, Frowns, and Isolation

It has been an up and down couple of days for Braxton.

Yesterday things were improving as his white cell counts and neutrafil levels climbed while his fever receded. Today the course has reversed. White cell counts and neutrafil levels are still ok, but his fever has returned.

Last night Braxton got to cheer on as Kansas rallied from a 9 point deficit with two minutes remaining in the game to win the National Championship in overtime. Today Braxton has been diagnosed as having an infection that will force him to be isolated from other patients. He will have his own room at the hospital, which is good, but his movement on the floor will be restricted.

Yesterday we were hopeful that Braxton would be returning home soon. Today we seem to be back where we were on Friday as, even with the infection diagnosed, the return of a fever is somewhat of a mystery. It now looks as if Braxton will have to remain in the hospital at least through Thursday.

Pray for Braxton. Pray that he may not become depressed due to extra time in the hospital. Pray that he will find new interests to keep him engaged with life. Pray for healing.


+ posted by David

Go, Kansas!

Tonight's the night!

Braxton's got Kansas as his pick for the National Championship.

GO, JAYHAWKS!!!

Day 25: Conditions Improving

Good news, Bloggers!

Braxton's vitals are getting better.

Braxton's team of doctors, nurses, residents, and others stopped in at 9:30 this morning. The news was mostly good.

All of the things we have been looking for are coming about. Braxton was fever free all night. His white cell and neutrafil counts have jumped dramatically: 4300 and 2300 respectively! So he is on the road to going home in another day or two.

On the other hand, Braxton is still really bothered by his mouth sores. Hopefully those will start getting better now that his blood is healthier.

Also, Braxton's kidney functions is down somewhat. This is a common side effect with some of the antibiotics he has been receiving. The doctors are switching some of hid meds today to try to keep treating the infection but also to improve kidney function. We'll keep our fingers crossed.


+ posted by David

Wisdom From the Chatty Chatty Princess

It is snowing again in Minnesota today. In fact, Northern Minnesota got 19" of snow over the weekend. Snow in April can lead to frustration for even the heartiest Minnesotans.

The Chatty Chatty Princess is no exception. She is looking for sunshine and flowers.

Today on the way to pre-school she diagnosed the problem. "Mommy, I think the weatherman forgot to say that it's Spring. As soon as the weatherman says it is Spring, then the flowers will come!"


+ posted by David

Day 25: Snow?!

Good morning!

We had a fairly quiet night. We turned out the lights at 11:30pm and slept pretty well except for the interruptions every two hours to check Braxton's temp and vitals.

Good news! Braxton's temp has remained under 100 the whole night. Perhaps he will be able to go home soon.

It is a very quiet morning. I woke up at 7:30. It is 8:30 now and Braxton is still sleeping. Good job, Braxton!

As I look outside I can see snow falling. Two days ago it was sunny and sixty. Today it is snowing. That's April in Minnesota!

Even with snow, every Minnesotan knows that Spring will come. And even with an unexpected hospital visit, we also know that Braxton will get better.

Thank you, Lord!


+ posted by David

Vitals Improving

It's 10:45pm and Braxton's nurse just came in to check his temp:

99.6!

That's the lowest it's been since Braxton checked in on Friday.


- posted by David.

Day 24: The Second Shift

Hello, All!

It's David speaking.

I have my first overnight shift with Braxton. Beth has been here in the hospital since Friday, so I am giving her a chance to spend a night at home.

I arrived here at about 8:30pm. Braxton was watching "Home Improvement." Now we're watching "Willy Wonka" on the Family Channel. It's the second version with Johnny Depp. I have to say that I like the Gene Wilder version much better. But Braxton is enjoying the show.

It's a very quiet night here in the hospital. Braxton still has his own room, which is nice. And Braxton himself is still quiet. He is usually a pretty quiet kid anyway, but even more so now that he has fever and mouth sores. So we're spending a "guy" evening together. No real talking. Just tv and some occasional grunting!

Not much else to report. We're still waiting for the fever to go down and everything else to normalize.

Until then, we'll make the best of our luxury accommodation!


- posted by David

Day 24: grey, grey, gloomy day

Hello bloggers,

We're still in a holding pattern, today. Braxton is very low energy and not eating. Symptoms that will change as his neutrafil count rises. Yesterday's blood work had Braxton's white cells rising to 400 from <100. This morning they are at 900! Very good and quick improvement. His neutrfils, however, are not moving at all yet. Neutrfils are the germ fighting white cells. I've been told that they rise slower than the white cells but need to show an upwardly rising pattern in order for Braxton to go home. He is still holding onto a fever too. He goes back and forth between 100.6 and 101.2. He needs to be below 100.5 for 24 hours (or so) before the docs will let Braxton come home. We've been watching alot of sports (Go Kansas!) and Spongebob (what do you get when you cross Spongebob with Albert Einstein? Spongebob Smartiepants :) ) I tried to get Brax to roam the hospital with me but he just doesn't have the energy. We are enjoying the river view from our hospital window, though. Both yesterday morning and this morning Brax and I sat on the window seat and watched 2 rowing teams practicing. Those long skinny boats filled with about 12 guys and a small boat in between with the guy who yells "row!" are fun to watch. They start at one end of the river and race about 1/2 a mile down and then coast back, get ito position and race again. They raced for about 2 hours both days. Not quite like the rowing machine at the Y!

As I write Braxton has fallen asleep in front of the Twin's game. They're down 2-0 so I won't bother waking him up. He doesn't get poked and prodded too much during the daytime ours so he can nap without being disturbed. David is planning to bring the girls to visit and maybe get Brax to play Monopoly later.


-posted by Beth

Day 23: Divided Fronts

One of the hard parts of Braxton's struggle with cancer is that it leaves the family divided into two fronts much of the time. There is the battle front - the front line where Braxton's treatment is taking place (at the "Big House"). And there is the home front - the every day activities for the rest of the family where we try to make life as normal as possible.

Beth has updated you on the battle front, so I'll give you an update on the home front.


OUTING FOR EMMA

Emma got to go on a special outing with her grandmother today. They went to the Minneapolis Children's Theater to see "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." Emma loved it! Her favorite part was when the Mouse came out on stage in its underwear. She kept singing "We saw the Mouse's underwear, we saw the Mouse's underwear ..."!


SERVICE FOR BAYLEY

Bayley was out on a Church service project today. Her youth group spent an overnight at the First Covenant Church in downtown Minneapolis and then they went out to do service projects today. They also spent some time at the World Market and learned about other cultures. They even saw some Buddhist monks.


PARTY FOR ZOE

Zoe went to a birthday party for her friend Marissa. They went and did service at "Feed My Starving Children" where they helped put together food supplies for children in Africa. Then they went back to Marissa's house and had cake, ice cream, and pizza.


SURPRISE SHAVE FOR DAVID

I went and got my head shaved to show solidarity with Braxton. I didn't go down to the skin, but went with the number 2 guard on the razor. My head is now nothing but 1/4 inch stubble!



PARK OUTING FOR THE DOGS

After the head shaving, Emma and I took our dogs - Sunny & Rufus - out to the dog park. Minneapolis has a beautiful dog park at the southern tip of Lake of the Isles. With yesterday's sunshine and sixty degree temps, there were lots of dogs and lots of people at the dog park. Emma and I (and Sunny & Rufus) had great fun!


DINNER FOR DAVID

Finally, I went out to dinner with my family to celebrate my niece's acceptance to the University of Minnesota at Morris. We had a great meal at the Cheesecake Factory in Edina. I had a Mojito, Louisiana Chicken Pasta, and Vanilla Bean Cheesecake. I also got a slice of White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake to deliver to Beth at the hospital.

I met my sister Cathy's new boyfriend, Kevin. He seems very nice and I am happy for both of them.


That's all from the Home Front.


+ posted by David

Day 23: Back in the Bighouse

Good morning everyone!

It's warm and sunny in the Twin Cities and Braxton and I have a nice view of the river from our window at the U. of M hospital. We had a pretty good sleeping night. The hospital floor is not full, right now, so Braxton does not have a roomate. Dr Lund came in to talk more about Braxton's situation right now, and it looks like we'll be here for at least 3 days. Braxton's WBC (white blood cell) and ANC (absolute neutralfil count) are at 0 (0.5 and 0.1) ,essentially, and they need to be at 1000 to leave the hospital. The low counts are due to his massive chemo treatment last weekend, and that he just had his Neulasta injection on wednesday. Neulasta is the drug that Braxton gets every 3 weeks (after chemo) to raise his WBC and ANC counts high enough so as not to get a fever. The fever and mouthsores are indications of very low counts. The fever is gone but the mouth sores are bad enough that Braxton does not want to eat because they hurt. He has sores around his tongue, inside his lips and a couple on the outside of his mouth. There isn't a med that can get rid of the sores. As Braxton's counts rise, the sores will heal on their own. We've been told that this all happens fairly quickly (within 5 days).

For today, Braxton and I are hangin out. We can't go outside because the breeze brings germs, but we can wander the hospital again and get some excercise. Braxton has been told that he needs to move to maintain muscle mass and to keep blood from pooling up in his legs where there is still some sweling from surgery. We may go visit the Maternity floor and look in the baby window. This hospital isn't very big and we've covered most of it, in our wanderings already. :)

I heard a great song, lastnight, on my way to the hospital. The chorus says "I can see the fingerprints of God when I look at you..." That's Braxton. I see God's hand on him and we're listening to hear what else we may learn from this time.
Braxton enjoys reading comments from you all!


-posted by Beth

Day ? P.S.

Braxton is being admitted afterall. They took a chest x-ray, which looks fine, but there's an infection somewhere so he gets to stay on 5B for the night. Pray for Braxton right now. He's tired, sad, doesn't feel good and isn't ready to be back at the hospital.
-posted by Beth

Day ? 4/4/08 Sleeping In...

Today started with Braxton in bed and he's, pretty much, stayed there all day. Chemo and meds have him very tired. Mouth sores and a low grade temp have his appetite depressed too. In the hospital, Braxton was taking Prednisone as well, which had him being more active and very HUNGRY. This week is different. He's using a numbing mouth rinse called "Magic Mouthwash". It helps heal the sores and numb his mouth so it doesn't hurt so much.
After I got home from work, I checked Braxton'[s temp and he was 101.1. Too high! So, we called the oncology doc and he said to bring Braxton to the U. of M. Emergency room. I brought Braxton down there and we waited for Brad to come take over. I needed to be home with the little girls because Bayley has a church overnight committment and David was off to the Twins game with Rich. They got Braxton through pretty fast (uncharacteristic for an ER) and had to re-connect his port without the numbing cream first. Then start him on fluids and took more blood. It's 8:33 pm and Brax will be hooked up til 10 ish. But does not have to be admitted (YEAH!). I feel very sad with him right now. It's hard to watch him being so tired and flat. The bigger picture of getting through chemo and being healthy is what we concentrate on and pray for.
more tomorrow...

day...(I've lost count) Up and Down day

Hello bloggers,

It's Thursday and the weather is better than on monday! Our snow is almost all gone and the sun is out. Braxton has had an up and down day despite the nice weather.

Down- He had a nurse come and take blood to check his platlettes )sp?). Braxton doesn't bleed well so the amount of blood squeezed out of his finger was minimal. So, after another try the nurse left feeling that she had gotten a good sample.

Up- Braxton went to the Twin's game with his dad and a friend and the friend's dad. He said that he had fun despite the Twins losing 5-4.

Down- he had to wear a mask to protect himself from germs.

Up- Braxton ate ice cream at the Dome.

Down- The nurse had to come back to take more blood because the first sample wasn't enough.

We haven't been up again yet. Braxton is feeling the effects of chemotherapy today. He's tired, has a low grade fever and is getting mouthsores. We got another prescription filled called "magic mouthwash" that is supposed to work very well on mouthsores. So, it's early to bed and lots of rest for a couple of days.

Thankyou, again, to everyone responding to Braxton's blog. He enjoys reading comments from you all! :)


+ posted by Beth

Day 20 - Some Discomfort

Braxton is still at home between rounds of chemo treatment. Today he is with his Dad who is home from work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This is great because that means that Braxton is not so isolated on those days. Bayley & Zoe also stay with their Dad on these days, but of course they are in school during the day time.

Braxton had his spinal tap yesterday and it seemed to go well. But last night he called his Mom and complained about discomfort in his back. He was in some pain. He made a call to one of his treating physicians at the hospital and they decided it was probably a muscle strain caused by the tension of keeping still for the spinal tap.

So Braxton made a call home for Vicadin. That took away the pain and when he woke up this morning, all was better.

Today was the first day for his new, long lasting, very expensive medication, Nuelasta. He will get this medication via injection once a month. A visiting nurse came out today and we thought that she would give Braxton the injection, but she wanted Beth to learn how to do it. Braxton said, "I don't know about that!"

Beth and the nurse talked to Braxton for a while to get him calmed down, gave him his i-pod to listen to, and Beth stuck him before he knew it. Apparently it didn't hurt.

So Braxton is back with his Dad tonight along with Bayley and Zoe.

Still no major issues from his treatment and we're all very grateful for that.


+ posted by David

Day 19: Spinal Tap & Normality

Another day at home for Braxton. Another day of feeling pretty normal.

Braxton spent most of yesterday playing video games with his good friend Brendon who is on Spring Break. The two enjoyed being normal (whatever that means) twelve and thirteen year-old boys doing normal boy things. It was nice to have an extra friend in the house and nice that Braxton has had another day without being too sick.

Today Braxton went to the hospital for a spinal-tap. He was not put under for this one, but just had some local anesthesia. Braxton said it went fine and that it didn't hurt.

Braxton is also supposed to receive a shot in the next day or two. The shot is an injection of GCSF, a medication that is supposed to help control his white cell count between chemo treatments. The good news is that they have developed a new type of injection so that Braxton only has to have a shot once a month instead of daily. The bad news is that each injection is very expensive ($3,000) and it is hard to get hold of, even if insurance is paying for it.

We are lucky to have very good insurance coverage, but we are still awaiting delivery of the medication Braxton needs.

But the bottom line remains that Braxton is doing well, he has not yet gotten sick, and we are grateful for that!


+ posted by David