The Brands: October 2011

Monday, October 24, 2011

It's the Flu

Flu season has arrived. I feel like it's early this year. All three kids are down with it, and so am I! It didn't take any time for it to catch on from one kid to the next. Slowly, Nella is getting better (she was the first) and now we're waiting on the rest of us. Caleb had clinic today, and the poor kid still had to go, despite being ill. We wouldn't send him to school, but we'll send him to the hospital, full of kids with compromised immune systems. It feels a little strange. The major difference, among many others, is that when going to clinic with a fever, Caleb wears a mask, and then is put into an isolation room for the duration of the visit. Isolation, not oscillation. A mispelled text between us made us laugh about an oscillation room. I feel dizzy already.

Different from other families, when we get the flu we quickly know what it is, because the hospital tests Caleb. The upside for us is knowing quickly what the problem is. The downside is the hospital visit and the nasal swab--a 6 inch stick shoved up his nose and down into his sinus cavity. It does the trick but feels terrible. He'll get good care as a result, and by extention we know how to best look after our girls, but it's not a nice procedure. It was a rough morning for him. Chemo made him throw up, his port had trouble bleeding back and they couldn't just let it wait until next week, and a nasal swab. He's understandably worn out, and not just from the flu.

So, we'll wait it out. We'll get a call from the hospital with any medication recommendations, and otherwise do what any other family does when the kids are sick: sleep, read books, watch movies. And do lots of laundry and run many showers.

Here's to pedialyte and tea! And lets hope it's not too contagious.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

The wish that keeps on giving

We got more use out of our camper this past weekend. Thanksgiving Camping is a tradition that I grew up with, and am happy to carry on with our family. Growing up, we visited Pinery Park on Thanksgiving weekend--camping in whatever weather came our way, snow included. This weekend we were blessed with incredible weather, this time at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.

There are certain things that I appreciate about camping in the Fall that are different from summer camping. For instance, the cold nights make a fire much more cozy, and necessary, and make those sleeping bags useful! We discovered that the furnace in our trailer works very well! We also discovered that it runs on propane, after we disconnected the propane because our lantern tank ran out.

The shorter days mean the kids get in bed earlier too, closer to their real bedtimes. We have been quite relaxed with bedtime when we've been camping, until a few weeks ago. One evening, after supper, Caleb was exhausted after a series of very busy days and late bedtimes, and stated that his head was spinning. Knowing that he was just completely worn out, I got him up into bed. While laying in bed, he said to me: "Mom, this is how I feel when we're camping too." Hmm. Tim and I resolved to make sure our kids get in bed on time. This camping trip we had much happier, more patient and agreeable children, and thus an even better time as a family.

I value the time with just our family even more so now that I'm working full-time. Because I'm not with the kids full days anymore, the opportunity to explore and play together as a family are all the more important to me. I want to live in to each day even more than before; it's precious time together. We had a lot of that time together, experiencing sun-rises, sun-sets, geese preparing to fly south, feeding chickadees, 'smores by the fire, and bike hikes to explore places we've never been before. It was an adventurous vacation. And yes, we enjoyed having turkey dinner as well--ground turkey with stuffing, and turkey bacon in our hobo-pies cooked over the fire.

It was a weekend of Thankfulness. For health that we enjoy and appreciate. For time together that is ever more special. For a camping trailer that makes camping more simple. For extended family who texts with us as they gathered without us. For a new baby expected out in Victoria B.C. (Hurray, Laura and Rhodes!) For opportunities to teach our kids about Creation and how we can care for it. For celebrating Life.

Our campsite

The updated version of the old tire swing

Sitting in the front seat to "help" Dad paddle

Riding on the many bike trails in the park

Conquering fears of "slippery rocks!"

Feeding Chickadees--it's pretty cool

But it can be scary if you're 3.

Peace for your week.

What is ALL?

Caleb has ALL, a form of leukemia. From what I understand (here's the dummy's guide to leukemia), leukemia means that something has gone wrong in blood cell production.

Blood is made up of 3 main parts, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The red blood cells do things like carry oxygen and nutrients through your body. The white blood cells fight infections and keep you healthy. The platelets glue it all together. (I did say this was the dummy's guide, remember.) Bone marrow is where these cells are made and released into the blood stream.

In Caleb's leukemia, his bone marrow is producing the 3 kinds of cells, but some of the white blood cells are being made wrong. These white blood cells are not maturing, they don't perform any function, and they aren't dying off. They take up space, and made it so that Caleb's red blood cells, functioning white cells, and platelets were having a hard time doing their jobs, and the production of the blasts was taking over. This is why before we were admitted to the hospital, Caleb was tired and pale. His blood just wasn't able to do what it should do.

Chemo treatments are designed to kill back the blasts. The only way to do this has a lot of extra damage (collateral damage) as well, which we see in side effects like hair loss and need for blood transfusions. Because chemo also knocks back regular blood cells, Caleb needs blood and platelet transfusions to replace what is being lost through treatment. White blood cells cannot be transfused, which is why he has nothing to fight off infections. We can't replace those ones. When the drugs are less intense and his body can gradually go back to doing what it should be doing, white blood cell production should return. We will have to be careful for a long time, though.

Hair loss occurs because cells that are replaced often in our body, like hair, can't keep up production. The cells die off faster than they are replaced. Other fast growing/often replaced cells are in our mouths and our nails. These are all affected.

I hope my dummy's guide to leukemia makes sense. It's the way I currently understand things. People in the health care profession may cringe at my descriptions, but hopefully it's accurate enough to explain what Caleb's going through. Maybe it will help you explain it to your kids. For now, we just say we're blasting blasts.

We are the Brands

We are three kids, two parents, and one dog. And too many fish. We love our city, time in the outdoors, playing soccer, camping, and making music. Our faith is central to our lives.

On June 23, pieces of what had previously been a concerning question about our son Caleb's health came together in a diagnosis of leukemia. It all happened rather quickly, after bringing him to the ER at McMaster hospital on Monday, June 21. We're absorbing this news, and trying to learn how to cope with leukemia and a young family. Our hearts are torn, but we feel the love of many.

This blog is intended to share with our loved ones and their loved ones what is happening for Caleb and the rest of us. I must say that it is possibly as much information-giving as it is therapeutic writing. Thank you for taking the time to share with us our experience. We find strength in numbers, and in shared experiences.