Month: December 2006

Ty and I just wanted to put up a quick post to let each and every one of you know how grateful we are for your support for Peter and our family. We feel we have a lot to be thankful for, and are so proud of how Peter is handling the situation. We can’t thank you enough for what you mean to our family and we wish you and your families nothing but a fantastic 2007!!!

The marrow procedure went well on Wednesday and Peter bounced back afterwards almost as if he was finishing a nice long nap. He checked out of the hospital and went to Ty’s second tournament game in the afternoon, which Brainerd won in overtime against Blaine, a higher ranked opponent. It’s also noteworthy that the Blaine players have stickers on their helmets that read Keep Fighting Pete. What a nice gesture from a community far from Brainerd, but connected through hockey. It’s safe to say Wednesday was a good day.

Yesterday more scans were in order — which Peter handled effortlessly — and the initial test results came in. The conversation with Peter’s oncologist started with her saying, “I only have good news for you.”

The marrow remains clear of cancer on both sides. The tumor has continued to shrink (although it’s not known exactly how much right now). The official radiologist’s report on the torso scan isn’t complete yet, but the oncologist has looked it over and couldn’t see any evidence of cancer in the lymphatic system. Yes, the lymph nodes in his neck and chest appear to be clear of cancer. The official report on this will be coming this afternoon. At this point in the battle, Peter’s status is a shining example of exactly how you hope and pray the treatment would go.

Ty and Erika also met with the surgeon yesterday, who should be going to work on Peter’s tumor next Wednesday. That meeting also went well. He felt confident and didn’t relay any major concerns. The tumor, which was initially wrapped around a major artery, making its removal very risky, has recessed enough to be clear of that artery.

Then last night Ty’s team played for the consolation championship of the tournament and won in dramatic fashion. They came back from a 1-2 deficit with less than 5 minutes to play and won 3-2. Peter had told Ty that morning something like “if he won he’d cry in his eyes” because he’d be so happy. Well, he didn’t cry in his eyes, but there were some tears from the rest of us as the day’s great news was recapped.

I really can’t put in words how exciting the news is and how optimistic it makes everyone feel. Next week will be difficult and emotional and there is still a long way to go. It’s just so promising that this fight, with all its heartache, inconvenience and struggle, is returning results.

What a great Christmas. Kids everywhere, bows, shredded paper, laughs, squeals — we had it all up in Brainerd at the Eigner’s house.

Now it’s back to business in the cities. Ty is in the midst of a big holiday hockey tournament in the St. Paul area. Last night we saw his team put up a good fight against last year’s state champs, but couldn’t quite pull it out.

This morning Peter checked into the hospital to begin his pre-surgery tests and will be back here at my house tonight, before going in again tomorrow. Today he is having the bone marrow biopsy; They put him under and drill into each side of his pelvis to get samples. This procedure hasn’t bothered him too much in the past. They will also be injecting him with a dye for tomorrow’s scans.

Tomorrow he will lay still in a little tube that will take pictures of his torso. The aforementioned dye “lights up” where there are cancerous cells. Hopefully there isn’t much to light up.

Everyone’s anxious to hear the results of all testing. To recap the last round of testing, the marrow came back clear of cancer, the tumor in the abdomen had shrunk significantly, and there was significant improvement in his infected lymph nodes. Even more improvement would be fantastic.

Here’s another more recent picture of the big guy.

Kate, Peter and Ellie. I don’t think Ellie has a pocketful of posy, considering she doesn’t have pants on.

Peter is in Minneapolis getting platelets and hemoglobin. As Erika puts it, he needs to get some color back. The low blood counts make him pallid and very susceptible to bruising, especially when little Kate knocks him in the head with a hockey stick. That’ll leave a mark every time.

He’s also getting another hearing test down the road. He’s had some ringing in his ears and the Cisplat drug he’s been receiving can cause hearing loss. Hopefully the ringing is just from the high sticking penalty.

I mentioned the surgery will be on January 2nd, but that’s false. It is now scheduled for January 3rd, but could get pushed later into the week. I should also clarify that the posted schedule simply states what is supposed to happen during the given week, since exact days change by the minute.

Peter should be back home tonight in his own room, sleeping in his own bed, surrounded by his custom mural of hockey players on the bench, a scoreboard and various quotes. The painting was done when he was healthy and moving into his new big-boy room, but one of the quotes, in big lettering, reads Do you believe in miracles? Yes!

I came into this weekend with fingers crossed because Peter’s counts would be “bottoming out” and if he would be getting mouth sores and/or a fever, it would likely happen now. As a person who still has a fair amount of work to do before Christmas, I am OK with avoiding a 4-5 day trip to the hospital!! I’m happy to report that so far, no sores and no fever. We went to church last night to avoid the crowd and so he would be able to sleep as late as necessary today. (He wore his mask as usual and does not complain despite lots of little staring eyes!) Other than that he’s been in the house but in good spirits, playing (and fighting) with his sisters.
We will find out his counts tomorrow as Home Care will come out in the morning. He is scheduled for blood and platelet transfusions on Tuesday so we will go down and back. Those counts (hemoglobin and platelets) were pretty low on Thursday but they felt he would be fine to wait until Tuesday based on his past counts. So we are happy that we should be able to remain home now through Christmas. As Matt posted, we’ll be down the 27th and 28th for his “Re-Staging”, or testing, to see where things are at, and we believe the surgery is the next week. One minor correction on the schedule is the 6th Round is a “normal” round of chemo, and the “Knock-Out Round” is actually a 7th round. It’s done right before the transplant and is actually done on the Bone Marrow Transplant floor (how’s a guy supposed to keep all this straight?!) I don’t know the details of it yet other than it’s very high dose and wipes out his system entirely (it consists of different chemo drugs than what he’s getting now).
Happy Holidays!

Recovery from round 5 continues to go well and Peter is at home enjoying the company of his younger sisters. His counts are probably still dropping and will likely bottom out over the weekend, possibly requiring a trip to the hospital, but we’ll see.

For the past three months or so the treatment has mainly consisted of chemotherapy in various combinations. Now it’s time for the doctors to wield a winning combination of knockout blows. I’ve updated the schedule (finally) with more accurate dates.

Peter will undergo retesting in the days following Christmas. This includes bone and torso scans that provide a picture of the cancer (feeble, pathetic and retreating cancer!). Then Peter will start 2007 with surgery.

On January 2nd the surgeon will enter his abdomen for the first time since August 18th. That seems like a lifetime ago. There wasn’t a diagnosis yet. There was an abdominal tumor. That much was known. The disease wasn’t named and everything was uncertain.

Today we know the tumor is a result of Neuroblastoma and we know how to fight it. We know the tumor has been taking a pounding. The goal of the surgery is to finish off the mass by removing it entirely. If the procedure in August was chaotic and unnerving, this one should be filled with purpose and hope.

Looking past surgery, round 6 of chemo will be a doozy. This is the knockout punch. A couple weeks later, there will be a bone marrow transplant. The good stem cells that were harvested from Peter’s marrow will be reinserted.

That isn’t the end of the ordeal, but I’ve ventured too far into the future to write with any clarity, so stay tuned. 2007 holds heaps of promise for Peter Eigner.

The recovery is going pretty well, although the Zofran doesn’t completely suppress the need to vomit. He had some fun with Dad and Grandpa Poopster on Saturday during an ice fishing expedition. Poopster strapped the fish house to the ATV and towed it onto the lake and the fishing contest was on. Ty got skunked. Poopster caught zilch. Peter hauled in four flopping fishies.

I’m guessing that Poopster attributed Peter’s success to having “the world’s greatest fishing guide on his side”.

There’s a fun benefit taking place next weekend. On December 16th, two classes will be taught by certified Pilates/Yoga teacher, Kari Stengrim.

Sessions:
9:00 AM – Student athletes, coaches and experience yogis
10:30 AM – Beginners, no experience necessary

Check in is at 8:30 and 10:00. You’ll need a mat or beach towel and your bare feet. A $10 donation will be taken at registration with 100% of donations going to Peter’s fund.

Where:
New Just for Kix Studio
6948 Lake Forest Road (west of 371 N)
Baxter, MN

Peter checked out of the hospital late this morning with round 5 behind him. He didn’t need a transfusion or anything before leaving. The chemo is getting to his stomach, though. He threw up a couple times once they started the journey home, but then fell asleep.

So he’s back in Brainerd recovering. We can expect that he’ll have to come down to the hospital again because the need for a transfusion, mouth sore treatment, medicine for his cold or any combination of these reasons. But he can check off another big milestone today on the road to recovery. Way to go, big guy.

Peter is doing very well aside from the continued sniffles and a morning throw-up yesterday. He still has lots of energy and spirit.

I saw him last night and I noticed that some long dark eyelashes and redish-blonde strands of eyebrow were probably left on his pillow in Brainerd; That last round paralyzed a few more follicles that hadn’t been affected. But he’s cute as ever and growing up through all of this. He always displays new mental and physical capabilities and new, more mature mannerisms as any four-year-old would.

The nights last a little longer during this round, since he has to urinate so often. There’s no way for parents to get extended sleep. “Why do they make me go weewee so much?”, he asked. Mom calmly explained that the doctors want to make sure his kidneys are working just right.