Hives and Rash Means a Change of Plans
One day recently Matthew woke up a little itchy and by later in the day he noticed that he was getting some hives. Being the smart young man that he is, and being over at sweet Emma’s house, he asked her parents if they had any Benadryl. He felt better after the medicine with regards to the itching but the hives continued to spread and get worse throughout the night. By Saturday noonish and after a few calls to the Doctor On Call we made a trip to the Texas Children’s Emergency Department. They gave him as much intervention meds as they could and he seemed to be getting better, or at least no worse, so they sent us home with a couple of prescriptions. By the time we got home the rash seemed worse. We were advised to keep him on the meds for a couple of days and as long as his breathing stayed fine this should run its course and be gone.
Patience …
Over the next few days some places where the hives started were getting better but then it had spread to other areas. Thankfully we had a clinic visit coming up and would get to see Peg and Dr Foster and show them the hives and rash.
The clinic visit was actually Matthew’s pre-admit clinic for cycle 5 of the Immunotherapy. They did the usual labs and the things we usually ask about, his hemoglobin, platelets and ANC were all great. Thank you Lord for that news since this means his bone marrow is functioning well! But what is causing the rash? “Should Matthew be admitted for further treatment with this rash?”, we asked.
Looking a little closer …
Peg, Matthew’s nurse practitioner, decided to look closer at some of the other numbers from his blood work. Sure enough one of the markers was high. This caused Peg to consult with Dr Foster and review Matthew’s previous bloodwork. After what seemed like hours both of them came back into the room and said that after reviewing the bloodwork associated with the Immunotherapy they can say that Matthew was having a reaction to the special white cell stimulator shot that comes as part of the protocol. It just hadn’t manifest in any reaction until this last treatment.
Change of plans …
So, what does that mean? Well, since the antibody treatment protocol must use the stimulator shots Matthew will not have a 5th cycle of Immunotherapy. He will now get a few weeks off to rest up, gain some weight, and be ready for the Bone Marrow Transplant which is coming up next.
Prayers …
Please continue to keep Matthew in your prayers. He has been blessed to be declared “cancer free” with “no evidence of disease” and we pray for him to stay that way through BMT and for life!
Since he has his own stem-cells in the bank waiting for the hospital to give them back to him during BMT that whole process is anticipated to go smoothly. They just need to keep him clean and clear of any possible infections until his stem-cells can rebuild his bone marrow. And Matthew needs to prepare for the extended stay needed to recover and rebuild his marrow. Please pray that the time will pass quickly and without incident. Once he is showing good blood numbers with his new bone marrow they will be able to release him to come home. And that is always best because it means he can see sweet Emma.
May the Lord bless you all and keep you!
(California Burger from Cafe’ Express)
Matthews Cancer Adventure 