I honestly don't really know how to update this information as it really isn't conclusive. I'll give it a try; bear with me.
Due to Seth having difficulty breathing, and not hearing anything in his lungs, it was decided he would go for a CT Scan. What was "discovered" is something on the scan that makes them concerned enough consider doing a biopsy. There is a thought that it may be a fungus; HOWEVER....it is slight and at this very moment and the risks vs. benefits of biopsy have led the Docs to hold off on a biopsy. This has changed several times through the night and may change today.....
A fungus, given his current health status would be terribly difficult to handle. They would surgically remove it. So, right now they are watching him closely and monitoring his vitals. If there is a change or if I can figure out exactly what is going on...I will update this status.
Please remember Sethman in your prayers as well as Darin, Shannon, Corbin and Jenna, times like these are emotional and hard and we know prayer can help give them comfort and strength.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Update 2/24/2010
I haven't updated for a while...mostly because I haven't had much to say....day to day life doesn't change much for little Seth, but there have been some issues as of late.
Seth received the Broviac on 2/9/2010 (I hope that's right :) . He went through his massive doses of Chemo and all was going fairly OK. Then, he got and infection. Turns out he got a Strep infection in his blood....YUCKY~! He also has been receiving a lot of blood. Never fun!
Today I am told he is doing better...That's good news! Everyone is hanging in there; Grandparents spend time there every week as wells as a couple uncles. I know all the help is greatly appreciated!
We are planning an early spring Yard Sale as a Benefit for Seth. I don't have dates, but as you start your spring cleaning keep in mind we are gathering "Stuff" for the sale. The more we have the more we can sell :) Furniture seems to be good, movies, books etc. Keep it in mind and let us know if you have things you would like to donate and we will make arrangements to get them!
Thanks for all your prayers, we appreciate all the support!
Friday, February 5, 2010
This is from Darin: SETH
Darin sent this email....this is all he knows right now. I have asked questions but the fact is right now there just aren't many answers so please read below and wait and pray with the rest of us....I will update with new information ASAP. Thanks
so here is what I know:
when Seth relapsed at Christmas his bone marrow contained about 7% "blasts" (the start of leukemic cells). after one new round of chemo he has 40% leukemic cells in his bone marrow. This is bad. the fact that it is going up is bad the fact that is went up during and after chemo is bad.
what now?
he will get 3 types of chemo this time (I don't know what they are). This will be heavier than any before. they said it will be even harder for his blood cells to recover. There is no time line right now they haven't said if it will be one more round or 10 more rounds. They don't know when they will do a bone marrow transplant.
so here is what I know:
when Seth relapsed at Christmas his bone marrow contained about 7% "blasts" (the start of leukemic cells). after one new round of chemo he has 40% leukemic cells in his bone marrow. This is bad. the fact that it is going up is bad the fact that is went up during and after chemo is bad.
what now?
he will get 3 types of chemo this time (I don't know what they are). This will be heavier than any before. they said it will be even harder for his blood cells to recover. There is no time line right now they haven't said if it will be one more round or 10 more rounds. They don't know when they will do a bone marrow transplant.
Going back....
Today Seth is returning to the hospital today. He has a bone marrow aspirate and lumbar puncture on Wednesday to get results of the last round of Chemo. To refresh; the last round of Chemo was to be very intensified from what he was getting previously. This is normal protocol for relapsed AML. We expected his % of Leukemic cells to go down and hopefully achieve remission through this round. Unfortunately, it didn't go quite as well as we had hoped and his Leukemic cell count is 40%. Said bluntly, it didn't work like we expected. Seth is such a tough kid and is so strong and such a fighter, he is doing really well from watching him. He did not get an major infections and had no real bouts of vomiting.
So, now what? He will be hit even harder with Chemo this time around. Not necessarily the most comforting thought, but it is what is next to be done. Hopefully it will be strong enough to attack the Leukemia and get him into remission in order to proceed with the Bone Marrow Transplant.
We have greatly appreciated all the support we have received. We are planning some fundraisers in the very near future as there are continuing medical and other expenses mounting. We will post information about them as they get closer. You may also make donations to Seth on this blog through PayPal. Please continue to pray for him and his family....they are in need of the strength and the comfort prayer brings at this time! We love you all!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Surprise....
Seth is home.....He actually gets to have a small break and be home for a couple of days. His counts were coming up and he was really "healthy" so they let him go home for a couple of days before the next round of Super Chemo. What a great surprise this is!
This next round will begin Tuesday (unless it changed and I don't know :) and will mimic the first in intensity. When he returns to the hospital they will check the blood and bone marrow to see if remission has been achieved. Keep the prayers coming! I know they are helping!
This next round will begin Tuesday (unless it changed and I don't know :) and will mimic the first in intensity. When he returns to the hospital they will check the blood and bone marrow to see if remission has been achieved. Keep the prayers coming! I know they are helping!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Count Recovery
Seth is in count recovery. He went to "zero" rather quickly due to massive doses he is receiving. He is also receiving back pokes; which are direct shots of chemo into his spine. He is supposed to be receiving one more tomorrow.
We are waiting for an update on the Bone marrow Transplant and we won't know the actual success of the chemo until his counts come back up. So...we wait! Of course he is feeling a little pooped and low on energy, but he is a happy and darling little guy and we all love being around him!
Also, we are supporting the Riders Against Cancer fundraising dinner on Monday January 18th at the Noah's event center in Lindon Utah from 6-9pm. This is an organization that helped raise money for Seth last summer/fall. They are raising the funds to become legally recognized as a non-profit organization and to be able to continue support of Seth and his family. If you are interested in donating to them and/or attending the dinner please email darin@rimdoor.com , nick.bollschweiler@hotmail.com or brenttracy1@yahoo.com for tickets and further information.
We appreciate the support and hope you will continue to pray for our little SethMan!
We are waiting for an update on the Bone marrow Transplant and we won't know the actual success of the chemo until his counts come back up. So...we wait! Of course he is feeling a little pooped and low on energy, but he is a happy and darling little guy and we all love being around him!
Also, we are supporting the Riders Against Cancer fundraising dinner on Monday January 18th at the Noah's event center in Lindon Utah from 6-9pm. This is an organization that helped raise money for Seth last summer/fall. They are raising the funds to become legally recognized as a non-profit organization and to be able to continue support of Seth and his family. If you are interested in donating to them and/or attending the dinner please email darin@rimdoor.com , nick.bollschweiler@hotmail.com or brenttracy1@yahoo.com for tickets and further information.
We appreciate the support and hope you will continue to pray for our little SethMan!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Bone Marrow Transplant Meeting 1/5/2010
Today there was a meeting with the Bone Marrow Transplant team....Here is the information from that. (Beware...I think I have more questions now than before)
Starting today we have begun the 8-12 week "get" ready process for the actual transplant. During this time they concentrate on finding a Bone Marrow match, getting insurance approval etc. This process will be involved and tedious, however they already have over 100 good matches for bone marrow (based on pre-typing) and a handful of good cord blood matches. They will narrow down the matches based a certain criteria to about 5 and then re-type and test further from there.
MEANWHILE.....
Sethman needs to get in remission again. They will continue to do Chemo injections 2x's per week in the spine and once remission is achieved, they will get his counts up then start prep. therapy for transplant. Which is basically as follows: Kill all bone marrow, through major Chemotherapy, plan on that taking 1.5- 2 weeks, then transplant. This is actually done in his room and then we wait for counts to come back. This typically takes around 20 days. for the next 6-8 weeks they watch for Graft vs. Host disease. This is where it gets tricky for me. They actually want to see this as it means the body didn't automatically assimilate the Bone Marrow, rather is "rejecting it" and through another drug the body learns to accept the new bone marrow. For one year Seth will be on the medication for the transplant, but will eventually be able to be weened off.
They told us to expect to be in the hospital for 16-18 weeks, with a slight chance for a few days at home, but it didn't seem like something we should count on.
This was a TON of information and I may not have it all right, but I will update and add to what I have as I get the information. Darin and Shannon are trying to process this all right now as it is a lot to deal with, but the ball is rolling and Seth is fighting!
We are going to be posting some events for fundraising so watch for that or you can always help through paypal or any family member. The money raised so far has been such a blessing and we are grateful for any help we receive, most importantly your prayers.
Starting today we have begun the 8-12 week "get" ready process for the actual transplant. During this time they concentrate on finding a Bone Marrow match, getting insurance approval etc. This process will be involved and tedious, however they already have over 100 good matches for bone marrow (based on pre-typing) and a handful of good cord blood matches. They will narrow down the matches based a certain criteria to about 5 and then re-type and test further from there.
MEANWHILE.....
Sethman needs to get in remission again. They will continue to do Chemo injections 2x's per week in the spine and once remission is achieved, they will get his counts up then start prep. therapy for transplant. Which is basically as follows: Kill all bone marrow, through major Chemotherapy, plan on that taking 1.5- 2 weeks, then transplant. This is actually done in his room and then we wait for counts to come back. This typically takes around 20 days. for the next 6-8 weeks they watch for Graft vs. Host disease. This is where it gets tricky for me. They actually want to see this as it means the body didn't automatically assimilate the Bone Marrow, rather is "rejecting it" and through another drug the body learns to accept the new bone marrow. For one year Seth will be on the medication for the transplant, but will eventually be able to be weened off.
They told us to expect to be in the hospital for 16-18 weeks, with a slight chance for a few days at home, but it didn't seem like something we should count on.
This was a TON of information and I may not have it all right, but I will update and add to what I have as I get the information. Darin and Shannon are trying to process this all right now as it is a lot to deal with, but the ball is rolling and Seth is fighting!
We are going to be posting some events for fundraising so watch for that or you can always help through paypal or any family member. The money raised so far has been such a blessing and we are grateful for any help we receive, most importantly your prayers.
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