Month: January 2007

Peter started round 6 late on Monday and has been taking it in stride all week. He’s peppy and having a good time, actually, in part because they were holding Camp Get-a-Well-a at the hospital. The “camp” meant that the patients got t-shirts and extra entertainment, such as a magician.

Today he’s playing bingo through the closed-circuit game show — the one that he previously co-hosted until he had to go wee and left the set.

All is well. The Eigner’s should be leaving the hospital tomorrow morning (Friday) to head home, where Peter will feel the effects of chemo, battle through, and recover for the start of his next treatments.

The checkup yesterday went about as well as could be expected. The doctors were happy to see our little guy fully recovered. Peter doesn’t have any remaining pain and he’s running about as normal.

The hearing test revealed that he doesn’t have any further hearing loss, at least in the normal hearing range. That’s a great sign, but there’s two big rounds of chemo to go. Peter will come in on Monday morning to begin the 6th round and stay in the hospital for another 5 days or so.

On a side note, I have entered a team in the aforementioned dodgeball tournament, so let the trash talking begin. If anyone out there wants to leave a comment in an attempt to get in the opponents’ proverbial kitchens (and to encourage Peter), bring it on. On 1/27/2007, flesh and egos alike will be bruised.

Have a great weekend.

Peter’s recovery is going well. He takes more regular naps, so he’s a little more tired, but that’s not a bad thing.

On Thursday, Peter will be back at the hospital for a check up with the doctor and a hearing test. Then the plan is to start another “normal” round of chemo next Monday, the 22nd. That will probably require a lengthy recovery period as we’re seeing cumulative affects from the previous rounds and operations. It’s hard to witness these later chemo rounds and their toll on Peter, but they’re taking a bigger toll on the path thing. Peter’s making it clear that he can handle it.

There are lots of new photos here.

Bust out your terrycloth headbands! A super fun dodgeball tourney is upcoming.

When:
Saturday, January 27th

Where:
Dodge-It Center in Uptown (2900 Aldrich Minneapolis, MN 55408)

What time:
Noon to 4pm

Cost:
$20 per player, free for spectators, donations welcome!

Why:
To help fund Peter’s fight against Neuroblastoma, and have a great time playing Dodgeball!

Teams of 5-7 (6 play at one time) people are encouraged to pick a team name, coordinate creative team uniforms, and join us for snacks, beer, and prizes to the top three finishing teams. Another prize will be awarded to the team with the most creative uniforms! Please make sure to sign up your team by Friday, January 19th. Also, please make sure to pass this on to any other family members or friends that would be interested in joining the fun!

Questions about the tournament can be directed toward Molly Zauhar by calling 320-492-0215 or e-mailing mollyjane8@hotmail.com.

Peter is back home after a quick recovery in the hospital. He had three days of relative silence; The combination of pain, pain medication, and healing suppressed his conversational nature. But those factors couldn’t keep him down long.

By Friday morning he was off of the morphine and turning the corner. His digestive system started working again and he could take food and water. His plumbing didn’t come back completely normal, though, and he has diarrhea. The doctors suspected a virus called C-Dif — a common infection for immuno-suppressed patients — and that has been confirmed.

The Eigners were released from the hospital on Sunday evening. Peter is on antibiotics for the viral infection and all should be fine if he can keep drinking fluids. The tumor pathology showed the tumor was still cancerous, but the surgery was a clean break, meaning that there shouldn’t be any cancer in his abdomen.

So let’s review the news of the past couple weeks. There shouldn’t be any cancer in his abdomen. There isn’t any cancer in his marrow. There isn’t any cancer in his lymphatic system. These are all the cancerous areas from the original diagnosis. Logic tells me that there isn’t any cancer in Peter’s body at the present. Pretty remarkable.

But this isn’t the end of the fight and everyone will need to remain vigilant. Peter will be back to meet with Dr. Acton (the surgeon) on 1/18. He may even be admitted for round 6 of chemo that day, otherwise it will begin the following Monday.

Peter went into surgery this morning at 7:30 AM. His abdomen was re-opened to extract the remaining tumor. Everyone was feeling nervous, but optimistic in the surgery waiting room for the 3 or 4-hour wait. The surgeon emerged and summoned Ty and Erika away for the debriefing. About five minutes later they came back with a “thumbs up” sign and smiles.

The surgery went well and the surgeon felt that they were able to remove all of the clementine-sized mass. Removing the tumor had some risks, such as the need to shave away some kidney or remove a kidney altogether, but there was no kidney damage. I suppose it couldn’t have gone better. The tumor had scared in on itself, so the exterior consisted of tough white scar tissue. It will now undergo a biopsy that will determine the state of its cancer and possibly shed more light on how he’s responded to things overall.

Everyone’s breathing a big sigh of relief and even celebrating a little with this major milestone. Peter is awake and recovering as of 12:30 today. He will need to stay in the hospital for another 5-7 days before heading home for more recovery before round 6 of chemo. Hopes have never been higher.