Some info......

Well as you have noticed I have been slacking when it comes to posting. There have been a few things going on since I posted the last time. Cody had to spend the night on Wednesday because they did a live biopsy. He fared pretty well through the process. They wanted to keep him overnight to monitor his blood pressure and just in case he had any bleeding. The liver is a very vascular organ. I wanted to get the results of that test before I posted again. So I took him in this morning for his 4th radiation session. We also went in and had blood drawn to look at his liver numbers. His bilirubin has been very high and he has not been able to start chemo until they have determined what it is that is causing it. His skin and eyes have a yellow tint to them. The problem is the liver is what processes the chemo and if it isn't working he will develop high toxin levels in his body from the chemo. So the results of the biopsy are such that they don't see any infection or other byproducts of a very serious condition that could have been causing this problem. All the liver experts got together with one of Cody's doctors. They have come to the conclusion that this problem was drug induced. Meaning, there was something Cody has been taking that has put his liver in this condition. We all think it was the Beta Glucan that he had to drink before his 3f8 treatments. That being said Dr. Gonzales has found a chemo drug that Cody has had before and he tolerated it pretty well. This drug is activated in the liver but processed out of the body through the kidneys. This is ideal. He will start chemo treatment next Wednesday. He will get the first infusion at the clinic and then he will be able to get the rest at home. After 3 weeks he will have a new set of scans and we will determine how the beast is responding to the treatment.

Now lets look at the bigger picture here. Between all the scans, liver biopsy and bone marrow biopsy this is what we know. Cody has no trace of neuroblastoma in his liver or any other organ in his body. They have found traces in both legs and in his pelvic bone. This is a very critical stage. He must begin chemo to stop the advance of the beast. Everyday that goes by this disease is multiplying and growing.

The future does not look good for our boy. I know the track record of this disease and I've seen others at this point in their treatment. I have not given up hope but hope is now dwindling. We are running out of options for treatment. There is no silver bullet or cure in sight. We are now at a point when we ask ourselves and the doctors "when do we just let Cody enjoy the time he has and let him be a little boy." I want him to have time without being pocked and subjecting him to all the medicine and procedures. I want him to physically be able to enjoy life without struggling.

This is a very hard time. Please excuse me if I don't post everyday.

I thank you all very much for checking in and praying for Cody. Please continue...