Days 2, 3 and 4 the poking and proding continue

Day 2, Wednesday, May 16, 2012:

Today Dillon got a PET/CT scan.  They injected him with radioactive sugar to 'light up' any active growing tumors and to identify any more tumors that are yet unknown.  Also they take cross-section cut pictures of his entire torso to be able to see exactly where all the tumors are and how big they are.  He 'performed' like a champ and was happy the procedure did not hurt.

That's a lot of labs!!

This nurse was sweet, kind, and gentle.

Sean and Luca came this morning. We did not tell them about the cancer last night....we wanted to tell them in person. Sean and I had to leave the room and cry and hold each other.  Dillon and Luca do not understand. They know it is bad, because he is in the hospital...but they don't know the gravity, the seriousness, the dangers, the treatments, the outcomes. Those silly boys just hung out on the bed, walked around, played video games, laughed, and talked.

Two dudes hanging in a hospital bed. Luca's first visit.

Day 3, Thursday, May 17, 2012:
Today was surgery day.  Dillon was very brave but obviously scared (most of the pain).  He got  procedures done today by 2 different surgical teams.  The first team took the lymph node biopsy from the mass on the left side of his neck and then they placed a port in his chest, also known as a central line.  It is a way to draw blood and give meds, including the upcoming chemo.  The second set of surgeons was the oncology team and they took a bone marrow biopsy and they did a spinal tap or lumbar puncture, which included injecting a prophylactic (preventative) dose of chemo into the cervical spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

He was in surgery for over 3 hours and, needless to say, the rest of the day and evening was full of dizziness, nausea, and a fair amount of pain and stiffness.  He was relieved to be rid of the IV, but he was disappointed that the port hurt so much.  Waiting 2 days for it to be less sore just feels like an eternity to him.

Recovering from the port placement and lymph node biopsy

Day 4, Friday, May 18, 2012:
We were hoping for biopsy results today, which will give us the exact diagnosis (what type of lymphoma this is) and the treatment protocol (what treatment, how long, how often, etc).  Nope.  None of that happened today.  Still waiting on pathology.  Today was full of rest.  Dillon hardly got out of bed.  He did have some excitement.  Finn came by and provided some entertainment....which they both enjoyed a lot.  My dad also spent several hours playing basketball on the Wii (yes D has a Wii in his room...if you gotta be sick, this is the place to do it :)) and I worked on my laptop in a conference room down the hall.

Best Friends (Finn got here as soon as he could!)

Grampy hanging with Dillon and eating chocolate ice cream

A meeting is scheduled with the entire oncology and surgical team for tomorrow at 3 p.m.  They will have the diagnosis and we will talk about and begin treatment.

Until then.....