Michigan, here we come

Our day started with a movie at PDX, not too early in the morning.

From July/Aug2015

We had a stop in Midway,

From July/Aug2015

where she enjoyed an ice cream treat.

From July/Aug2015

And finally, after a few delays, we were on our way to Detroit.  We finally met up with Joel again (he was on a different flight) and drove to Ann Arbor.

From July/Aug2015

It was a long day, but she held up well. 

Surgery scheduled

Eila's tumor removal surgery is scheduled for July 15.  The surgeon received the MRI images on Monday and was very happy to see how much the chemo has reduced her tumor.  He thinks he can remove the tumor with minimal impact to her kidney.  It's nice to finally have this scheduled, but it's also a little overwhelming to finalize the plans for it now.  Thank you again to all our friends and family for your support and generosity through this process.

Week 7 chemo

Eila's appointment today went relatively quickly, only one drug and she had no issues last week to report.  Dr. Tilford brought us images from Eila's MRI so that we could see the change in tumor size (Dr. Thomas was not available to meet with us this morning).  It's a little hard to make out because the tumor tissue is just a slightly different white blob on top of the white kidney blob -- I put labels on the picture and a red circle around the tumor tissue to help differentiate it.  The top image is from 4/24 and has the mass measured in cm, but the bottom image is from 6/25 and measures it in mm so it is much smaller.

From May/Jun2015

From May/Jun2015

It's strange to look at these light and dark blobs and know that this is what we're fighting.  Hoping to have surgery scheduled soon so that we can be back to just one white blob soon. 

Smaller still!

Today was Eila's 6-week MRI to check how well her tumor is responding to the chemo treatments (responding well = shrinking more).  Having an MRI is pretty low key compared to some of Eila's other doctor appointments.  Her only issues are not getting to eat or drink, and she is a little out of sorts for 30-60 minutes after she wakes up from sedation (not like at her port removal surgeries though).

We were all eager to find out how things are going, so her oncologist called us tonight on the drive home to tell us that it's approximately 88% smaller!!  We didn't really know what to expect, but we are very, VERY happy with this news.  Her images will be sent to Dr. Erhlich tomorrow, and hopefully we'll hear back early next week about a surgery timeline.  A little nervous to have to go through surgery again, thinking back to how rough her second surgery was on her, but also very ready to have this tumor out of her precious little body.

Week 6 chemo

This week's chemo had more adventure than our usual appointments.   First, Annikka came along to see what happens on all these visits to Portland.

From May/Jun2015

Then the nurse offered to take us behind the scenes, and Eila got to help with her blood samples.  She loaded her sample into the machine:

From May/Jun2015

She pressed the button to start the reading:

From May/Jun2015

And we watched as the arm move back and forth, taking measurements of blood cells, neutrophils, etc.

From May/Jun2015

But after that excitement, it was pretty much business as usual.  There was lots of snacking and movie watching -- getting all 3 meds takes more time and she can get through an entire movie.

From May/Jun2015

At this point, she has completed 2 chemo cycles (we started the third cycle today) and goes back up on Thursday to have a 6 week MRI.   The surgeon in Michigan would like to see how much her tumor has shrunk.  We hope to have his opinion by the beginning of next week, and then there will be a flurry of activity as we make travel plans.  We have been giving tentative dates in the middle or end of July, depending on how much change there has been.  We've got our fingers crossed for a tiny spec of a tumor.

Week 5 chemo

Yesterday's chemo appointment went well.  Although she had an ear infection last week, all looked good now.  At the beginning of each appointment, the Childlife specialist Hannah visits during her port access (when she gets poked with the needle).   Hannah always brings her ipad along to entertain Eila -- her favorite game/activity so far is Endless Reader.

From May/Jun2015

Eila only received vincristine this week, so it was pretty quick.  We talked with Dr. Thomas about next week's MRI and using this information to set a timeline for her surgery in July.  We are eager to learn how much change there has been with 6 weeks of chemo, and hoping for only the tiniest dot of a tumor by the time we take her to Michigan to meet Dr. Ehrlich. 

Last day of school

From May/Jun2015

Annikka is now a 3rd grader!  Wow, it's going fast -- her elementary years are half over already!  It was a hard saying good-bye to Mrs. Criscione, her beloved teacher of the last two years, and all her friends.  But she is excited for summer to start, and it will be filled with new fun and adventure.