Month: August 2006

Things are going well at the hospital today. When I left, Peter was making a big dent in a sub sandwich that was roughly the same size as his torso. It’s really good to see him eat. He continues to be in good spirits and the outward effects of the chemo have been mild so far. It’s hard to believe that it was two weeks ago tonight that they checked into the hospital.

You can see from the previous post that the kid is looking good and fortunately he’s feeling relatively good, too. His hair style is so fancy that he’s attracted a following. Ty and Uncle Trent are wearing the buzz and I joined the club this afternoon. I hear Uncle Troy is up tonight. The haircut formula is pretty simple; Put a #2 attachment on a razor and cut ’til it’s gone. Then you too can look like Peter or Beckham (at least from the forehead up).

His IV pole is in constant tow and it has many new computers and bags dangling. That doesn’t stop him from playing some knee hockey in the hallway. I said his pole is starting to look like a Christmas tree and Peter told me that the new stuff helps fight the bad guys. Yesterday Erika and Ty asked what his favorite part of the day was. “Swishing the medicine around in my mouth.”, he responded. (They put a plunger of medicine in his mouth each day during chemo to prevent sores and apparently it tastes pretty good.)

There aren’t many outward effects of treatment yet and hopefully that trend will continue. I personally would love to see him keep his big eyelashes and we all just want him to be comfortable. They say that the side effects are different for each patient, but we only care that Peter gets the primary effect — remission.

The treatment officially started at about 11:30 AM. All the chemo is given intravenously. Different solutions are dripped at various times and lengths with one solution dripped continuously for 72 hours. It has all started innocently enough. Peter has been playing and generally having a good day. He finished his haircut and likes to rub his hand over his hair stubs.

Although the negative effects of treatment aren’t yet evident, there are now more restrictions on visiting Peter and family. His immune system is going to be vulnerable and controlling germs will be crucial, so traffic in the hospital has to be reduced somewhat (especially from other children). I’m not sure exactly how we’ll coordinate this, but I’ll try to add some information shortly.

So I’m happy that there isn’t too much to report today. Thanks for all the amazing comments and prayers. The fight is underway!

Well tomorrow the first round of chemotherapy begins. We have no idea what to expect. All we know is that Peter’s FIGHT TO WIN begins sometime tomorrow. And that is our attitude We are going to FIGHT TO WIN. Erika and I pray for strength to help our son through this. We are so thankful that when we pray at night, we know that we are not in this alone. Everything we have learned up to this point tells us that we are going to need all the help we can get. So again, “thank you” for everything each of you have done for our family up to this point. We are truly blessed to have the most amazing support system behind us as we move forward. We don’t know what to expect from this disease, but we do know that this disease has never taken on a child so strong who has so many people in his corner.

WE WILL WIN!

Ty, Erika, Peter, Ellie and Kate Eigner

The morning report from Auntie G was that the old Peter was back. He was laughing and joking like normal. He runs out of gas pretty quickly, though.

This afternoon Peter received a blood transfusion, because his red cells were low and needed to be increased before the treatment begins tomorrow. It wasn’t traumatic in any way.

Tonight Ty began giving Peter a haircut with the brand new clippers that Auntie Meeses brought to the hospital. He made it about half way around Peter’s head before the clipper died. Apparently this particular clipper needs to be charged for 12 hours before use. So Peter just fell asleep with a real rock-and-roll hairdo.

It was a beautiful late summer day in the Twin Cities and Peter’s mood matched the weather. He had a busy day playing and he just fell asleep on his bed (7:15 PM). It’s been a bit of a challenge getting him to eat and drink enough, but the nurses seem pleased with his consumption today. We make up lots of games to make him take a bite or a sip. If you score on him in air hockey, he takes a bite. If you say you like the Vikings if you actually like the Packers, he’ll take a sip.

Tomorrow is the last day before the chemo starts. I personally am excited for the real fight to begin, but not looking forward to the short-term effects on Peter. I think we’ll have a head shaving party in the next day or two.

After dark each night, from the fifth-floor perch of the hospital room, you can see the fireworks show from the state fair. That’s kind of a treat before bed.

It’s been over a full week since Peter and family checked into the hospital. One thing that’s amazed me is Peter’s awareness, if not complete understanding, of what is going on.

Picture a four-year-old in church. The hour service can seem to last forever as they inevitably get restless and need a change of scenery in the 21st minute. Peter’s been in his little room for over seven days, aside from walking 50 feet to the end of the hall. However, I haven’t heard him complain regarding his confines. I thought maybe he’d be yearning for home or to go outside; This is the kid that pulled us outside every 10 minutes to pitch the baseball to him during the July 4th holiday. Yet even when he’s feeling well, he seems to know that he needs to stay in the hospital and get better. He also treats the hospital staff with a special respect. It strikes me as unusual wisdom and calm for a four-year-old, but it’s probably happening in rooms up and down the hall.

Credit goes to his network (you) for writing to him, giving him things to do, and visiting. I’m sure this helps keeps his mind off of where he’d rather be. I suppose he doesn’t mind where he is physically if his favorite people and things are around. Many people have visited and no matter how Peter was feeling when you arrived, it has definitely been appreciated. I would love to write about everyone’s visit, but couldn’t possibly keep up.

Peter’s been well today. He went to other rooms in the unit and gave away half of his balloons to other children that may not have any. He spent time at the end of the hall eating ice cream with Grandpa Sig. I’m going to head to the hospital now and catch the baseball game. He’ll probably provide me some good material for my next post.

The big activity for Friday was Ty and Erika’s scheduled meeting with the doctors. It lasted over two hours. The doctors were knowledgeable and forthright. They learned more about Peter’s condition and what’s ahead.

I’m not going to get into all the extreme detail here, but the main results are as follows. In addition to the tumor in his abdomen and his infected marrow, Peter’s cancer has traveled to lymph nodes in his shoulder and behind his ear. In other words, his cancer is NOT in his lungs, liver, kidneys, etc and we can certainly be happy about that. Because the cancer has spread, Peter is Stage IV and NB is usually diagnosed after it has spread. The first round of chemotherapy will be starting on Tuesday. A couple days ago, Erika and Ty thought they may be going back home for this weekend, but they’ll be staying here at the hospital after all.

Peter was in high spirits Friday night and had some timely visits. Peter and Kevin brought an air hockey table that fits on his bed. And later Carl arrived to play the “dinosaur game” on Auntie G’s computer, among other things. The little guy was chatting away and cracking us up well past his bedtime and we all enjoyed the Twins dramatic victory.

Some new pictures are posted in the photos section, including some action shots from this summer. Enjoy!

Here is Erika’s comment she just left an hour ago:

I am just overwhelmed every time I sit and read all of your comments. Keep ‘em coming.. we read them to Peter at night and they bring smiles (and tears too). I thought i’d share a few of the “brighter” moments from yesterday:

1. We were hearing about al of the rain & flooding outside yesterday and Peter said, “Dad – do you know you have to drive slow on the streets when they are flooded? Do you know why? Because the water splashes up and makes Tornadoes!!!”
2. Lots and lots of visitors, including his sisters Ellie & Kate, lots of family, some “Warrior Hockey Players” and his buddy (and ours!!) Jill from the bank with a whole BOX of suckers!!
3. We saw a BIG rainbow out his window after all the rain – both ends!
4. And of course, the twins won 11-2 (I think) and believe me, he will let you know what the score is if you ask!!!
5. The “whoopie cushion” that Aunt Jayne, Unlce Gary and Cousin Abbey sent seems to get a few big laughs every day. And if you stop by, Peter will offer you some of his ice cream!

There were more, and i have forgotten right now. Peter is in the hallway right now racing a car or something with Uncle Tito (Trent) and Aunt Melissa. I don’t know what the game is but Peter is pointing at Trent telling him he’s a cheater, and Trent is pointing at Peter calling him a cheater!! We all feel so much better when he shows us “the real Peter”.
No tests today – we will have a long meeting with the Oncology doctors this afternoon to get the final diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan. I am nervous about reliving the entire diagnosis and yet looking forward to having it all “out on the table” so we can begin to move forward.

Can’t thank all of you enough for the support. I wish I could call each and every one of you personally – we will as time goes on. for now, please accept this as our Thank You to all!!! – Erika

Another scan was performed today and I think it completes the testing phase. The results should be back tomorrow and will hopefully complete the picture of the enemy. I have a feeling that things can change at any moment, so sorry if I’m publishing corrections in the future!

After an energetic and active day yesterday, Peter has been pretty flat today. Just worn out I hope. He just painted a turtle on Emily’s hand (staff member) and she reported some smiles. His bed reminds me of one of those coin operated games with the three-prong claw that picks up a stuffed animal or other prize (after you’ve inserted $30 of quarters, of course). He definitely has lots of new stuffed animal friends.

I took this picture last night and Peter obliged me with his camera smile. It’s not a very good picture, but I wanted to get a recent one posted.

Hello to all of you,

Erika and I want to start by saying “thank you” so much to all of you. The prayers, love, support, gifts, visits, calls, e-mails and posts on Peter’s page have been “overwhelming.” We will never be able to repay you for how you have made us feel. This is the most difficult thing that we have ever had to deal with. Peter has been absolutely amazing, and Erika and I are drawing strength from him. He has the toughest fight of his life ahead of him and we have been dealt some real difficult circumstances, but we have to believe that God has a plan for Peter. We firmly believe that faith and attitude will play a huge part in Peter winning this fight. So please keep checking Peter’s page and praying, e-mailing, calling, visiting and supporting us as we move forward in this fight. As a coach if you tell me I have as good a chance of winning as the “bad guy,” I will tell that he is going to LOSE! You are all a huge part of Peter”s team and have significant roles on his team. We can’t thank you enough.

Love,

Ty, Erika and Peter Eigner