2nd Cycle

Hey everyone, just an update for you regarding the 2nd cycle. Tyler responded really well this time. They gave him extra fluids to help with the nausea and it seemed to work. Tyler felt good yesterday with the first dose of chemo and a little sicker today. Much better cycle than the first go around. We did seem to get out of the hospital a little quicker each day.

Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts, Tyler is doing well because of them. He had a pet scan on Tuesday and we got the results today. The doctors let us know that the chemo is working for him, the pet scan didn't show any masses of cancer. This doesn't mean it is all gone, but it does mean that it is working and that the treatment will be short. We are grateful for that.

If Tyler will let me I will have to put a new picture up. We went hat shopping this week and Ty is feeling better about his beautiful baldness. Everyone that sees him is telling him he plays the look well. Thanks everyone.

We will go in Wednesday to finish this cycle. It is a cake walk compared to today.

Next Cycle

Next week Tyler will begin his second cycle of chemo therapy. On Tuesday he will go in for another pet scan to see how the chemo has affected the cancer and make sure his body is ready for another round. Wednesday and Thursday are his days for chemo therapy. We are gearing up for that.

Tyler has started to loose his curly locks this week. He is known by all his friends as curly so he is feeling a little apprehensive about it. He is worried how he will look and what people will think and say. If you see him give him a big thumbs up and support. It will be extremely hard for him. If anyone sees any cool hats, let us know.

Finished First Cycle

Tyler has complete the first cycle in his treatment. He now has 1 down 2 to go. Thursday was easy compared to last week. The doctors explained that this treatment was like water and it wouldn't effect him at all. The were right--he felt really good when he finished this treatment. He felt so good we left for a long need vacation--we weren't sure if he would feel good enough to go. His next treatment will begin on the 27th. We hope it won't be as rough as the first one. Let's hope.

The Weekend

Tyler is a real trooper. Friday was a bad day. He felt really sick and the nurses kept giving him things to make him feel better, which in turn he was sleeping really well. When the medication started to wear off he felt better.

We are learning how to give shots at home, Tyler will need a shot in the leg for the next 7 days. He isn't too happy that Mom and Dad are playing doctor at home. David has been nicknamed Dr. Dave (by himself). We have to flush his picc line everyday with fluids since it is not being used. We are getting a mini nursing degree at home.

We will head back to Primary on Thursday and this will finish his first round of chemo. He will have a two week break from the hospital and then start the next round. In the mean time he has lots of fun at home with pills and shots and dressing changes.

Through all this Tyler is still hanging in there. He is starting to feel the side effects from the chemo which is tired a lot, cold, and his throat hurts. We are taking it one day at a time to survive the chaos here.

Love The McBrides'

First Treatment

Hey everyone today has been a long day for all of us. Tyler got his first treatment and we were all filled full of so much information that our heads hurt. Tyler started out with getting a picc line put in his arm and then they started the chemo. He did did awesome... He is feeling a little sick tonight--mostly really tired. (Although he hasn't gone to bed) This treatment will give us a good idea of how he will react to chemo. We will go back tomorrow to finish this first cycle. We did get a better look at his treatment schedule and it will take about three months, if everything goes as planned. He will have tests and some treatment almost every week as they watch him and watch how the chemo is affecting him. We will keep our fingers crossed that he won't feel to sick.

Thoughts from Tyler

I am feeling good! I am not worried about going to chemo. I appreciate everyone who has been caring. Thanks for all the visits, phone calls, notes and blog entries. Thanks Tyler