June 14, 2006
Radiation Day 25

Today has been another great day I am happy to report.  Radiation went smoothly today and once again Aidan slept for over two and a half hours.  We can get a little bored, but it gives him an opportunity to get in some extra sleep instead of a nap in the afternoon.  Actually, we don't mind it too much because we have such an awesome team working around us that we have become quite attached to.  Leaving will be bitter sweet.
After radiation we grabbed a bite to eat before our 12:30 labs and appointment with Dr. Geyer at Children's.  Once again Aidan didn't eat anything at lunch.  However we did manage to get some milk in him which is an accomplishment.  After eating we walked around University Village and checked out some shops before we headed back up to Children's.  Of course Aidan would have liked to purchase everything but we talked him into just getting some balloons and calling it good.
While we were waiting in the clinic at Children's it was like a reunion of sorts.  The first person we ran into was Dr. Anderson.  It was great to see him since it has been a week or two since he has been at the U.  He told us that Cori H. had told him about the website and her picture on there so he planned on going and checking it out.  We told him that we would need to get a picture of him and Aidan tomorrow at radiation so we could put his picture up..
Next we saw Cori.  She harassed us, we harassed her.  She is so much fun.  When she walked up Aidan was climbing up on me and then making me fall over while he was on my shoulders. She said, "hey this is a hospital."
I added, "yeah, you are supposed to be sick or something."
We both agreed that this is the way we like to see the kids.  Happy, laughing, and with energy.  Having cancer sucks, but making the most of the time is what is important.
Lastly, we ran into Tiffany, the speech therapist that gave Aidan his swallowing evaluation.  She was very happy to hear that Aidan was doing so well.  And that he was not having any problems with his swallowing.
Once again we had a bit of a problem getting Aidan's blood draw.  What happens is that the line that goes into his neck gets kinked unless he is in the right position which makes it close to impossible to get his blood out.  Finally we figured out that we needed to have him lay on his back while he is getting his draw.  He is so patient though, through the whole thing he just kept doing what we asked.  
The meeting with Dr. Geyer went well.  As before he was happy to see that Aidan is doing so well.  This week he brought in a Neurologist with him to run some neurological test on Aidan.  We think it is because they wanted to see where Aidan was compared to when we came in for our first appointment back in April.  All in all there was improvement.
After Dr. Geyer we saw Cori.  We discussed what the plan was after radiation.  We know that Aidan will have his next MRI on June 28.  It is only one week after radiation ends however they seem to be fairly confident that we will not see an increase in the size of Aidan's tumor.  They figure it will be stable.  The MRI is earlier because of Aidan being on the study.  It was going to be on July 5, however Dr. Geyer will be out of town that week and he wanted to see Aidan's MRI before he left.  
While at the clinic we also saw Mary Jean (Social Worker.)  We discussed the possibility of getting Sage into some summer camps and getting us set up for help with flights during the winter.  We will have to come to Seattle once a month, every month, for at least the next year.  
When we were done at the clinic we took a drive downtown since it was such a nice day and ended up taking the boys to Game Works to play some video games with a gift certificate we had.  Of course they had a ball but video games aren't really my thing.  It was still fun though to see the boys have such a good time.
After the games we headed back to the house and had the dinner that was provided by some volunteers.  Sage said it was the best meal he has had at Ronald McDonald House.  It was chicken, salad, beans, and goodies.  We had to eat quickly though because Bendy Kids Yoga started a half an hour after dinner was first served.
At first the kids were a bit unsure about the yoga class but they quickly warmed up to it.  I was trying to spot Aidan, especially on the balancing moves, but he kept saying, "Mom, I got it. Don't hold me!"  I was so proud of both of the boys.  They tried every position and had a great time doing it.  When we were done Aidan was upset because he wanted to do more "Yoda."
After a tiring hour of yoga we all headed upstairs to get ready for bed and sweet dreams.

Tanya