Clinic Visit Update....

I took Jake in this morning for his spinal tap. Things went really, really good.

To prepare for this procedure, Jake took a Valium with breakfast (oh how we all wish we could start our day like this) and we also put some numbing cream on the area of his back where they would be performing the procedure. We got to the Dr and they took some blood so they could get his counts taken care of. Once they had taken the blood, they gave him some additional pain medication to help him out.

The spinal tap was all done right there in the Dr's office. Jake held a rolled up blanket on his lap and used it to brace his body while he hunched over. The whole procedure then took about 6-10 minutes while they drained some spinal fluid and then gave him his Chemo. Once they were done, he needed to lay down for about 1/2 hour to let the medicine work its way around his spinal column.

Blood counts were great - ANC Count of 2130. His platelet count was over 560,000 and his white blood counts were in the normal range. His red blood cell counts are still a little low, but the Dr said this is normal as the bone marrow begins to work its way back to normal cell processing.

Next appointment is scheduled for 6/30.