CT Scan Results

Amy's Posting - Asher was so brave for his last CT scan. I realize it might seem strange to describe a baby as brave, but the doctors and nurses told me they would need to sedate him for the procedure since he is 4 months old and moves his arms and legs a lot. So after our hour and a half time frame of drinking the contrast, I took Asher to the CT scan room and laid him on the table. He immediately got very still and didn’t struggle with having his arms pinned. He stayed so still and looked so peaceful. The tech was able to perform the procedure without the sedation. It was huge relief to me.

The next day Todd and I met with the oncologist and we received some of the best news we could have hoped for….Asher’s tumor has decreased in size by one centimeter. It is a true answer to our prayers. The tumor went from a diameter of 2.6 cm to 1.6 cm. We were so joyful and thankful for the news. It was amazing to see how much smaller the tumor actually is when the doctor showed us the both of the scans side by side. Early indication is that his tumor is regressing naturally and while it is still considered Stage 1 neuroblastoma.

We’ve had so many people all across the U.S. praying for Asher and we are so thankful for all of your prayers and support. We truly believe that God answers prayers. While the news is very encouraging, we will continue to pray for further natural regression of the tumor. There is one rare case that I’m aware of where a family experienced a similar situation, only to learn that their baby’s cancer spread at 6 months. I’ve been praying for this family as they are dealing with treatment for their baby as well as trying to find peace with the “wait and watch” approach that they agreed to for their son’s treatment protocol.

We also have some good news about Hudson. I also took him to Children’s Healthcare for an Upper GI test. The good news is the doctors did not find anything abnormal during that test. His diagnosis is that Hudson has severe reflux and increased his antacid by a large amount to try to help Hudson feel more comfortable during and immediately following feedings. His hypothesis is that babies are smart and attribute cause and effect. So that Hudson knows that after he eats his throat and stomach burn and therefore decreases his feedings. After two few weeks of increasing his dosage, we also found out that he had gained 12 ounces, which is very encouraging. We can attribute that to the addition of KARO syrup and rice cereal to his formula. The KARO syrup is packed with calories. We are now hoping to decrease the KARO syrup and see an increase in the amount of formula he takes during a feeding. He is averaging 1 ½ ounces a feeding and we need it be closer to 2 ½ per feeding. His current weight is 9 lb. 1 oz.

Zachary celebrated his 4th birthday earlier this week. Unfortunately, he was sick on his actual birthday and had to go to the doctor's office. We will be celebrating with his friends at the end of next week (since this week is spring break for Georgia Schools). He is looking forward to his party.