Peter’s Page

No news is definitely good news in this case. Peter is doing well and actually feeling pretty well still. His blood counts are on the way down and will probably bottom out over the weekend. If the counts get too low, a trip to the cities for a transfusion could be necessary, but hopefully not.

The big Dodgeball Tournament/Benefit took place this past Saturday and what a time it was. I really didn’t know what to expect from the day, other than a good time. So when I entered the dodgeball facility and saw so many players — mainly tall, strong and 8-10 years younger than my team — my expectations also included adrenaline bursts and some pain.

The competition was fierce, friendly and deep. Everything was beyond expectations and I’m happy to report that my muscles are no longer sore, but I had a noticeable gimp on Sunday. Thank you to all participants, spectators and to those who donated. And a mega-thanks to Molly Zauhar for an incredible job putting the day together.

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.

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.