Summer Vacation & 8th Treatment

Makenzie, her family, Grandpa and Grandma Moore, Aunt Shelley and her cousins Raleigh, Tyler, and Sidney spent 4 days in San Diego. We went to the beach a couple of times, Sea World, and the San Diego Zoo. Kenzie did good. She had fun. She got to rent a wheel chair and get driven around Sea World and the zoo. Her blood counts were good last Wednesday so she did get her 8th treatment. Dr. Etzl is still watching her close and keeping the idea of switching her chemo drugs in the back of his mind. He is concerned about the swelling in the tumor and the symptoms it is causing her. One cause of swelling could be the chemo affecting the tumor. Another cause could be a shift in the position of the tumor or tumor progression. MRI's have not shown any shift or progression. So for now, we think, the plan is to keep up the current chemo and watch her closely, repeating MRIs to monitor the tumor.

7th Treatment

Makenzie's blood counts bounced back nicely and she was able to get her 7th treatment. Dr. Etzl is concerned about her not feeling well all the time and having difficulty swallowing. He talked about maybe changing the chemo medication she is on. He was concerned that tumor growth or shift may be causing her problems and we might need to get more aggressive with the treatments. We doubt there will be any change though. He's been in Japan for a week at a brain tumor conference and had not spoken to her neurosurgeon or her neurologist. He also had not reviewed her latest MRI for himself. The neurosurgeon already reviewed her MRI from when she was in the hospital and said he did not see any growth or shift. We think it is just swelling in and around the tumor. Anyway, we'll find out for sure at her next appointment. She has been doing better the past week or so. She's eating better, got some weight back on. The steroids have increased her appetite. Her voice is sounding better and she's got some color back also. The vincristine is affecting the nerves that go quadriceps... that makes her legs a little sore and stiff and she walks like a penguin.

No Treatment This Week

Makenzie's white blood cell counts were too low so no chemo this week. Her hemoglobin and platelets were good though, so no blood transfusion. We're hoping a week off will help her feel a little better. They will try again next Wednesday.

Stuffington Bear Factory and Channel 3

Makenzie, Carson, and Brayden got to go down to the Stuffington Bear Factory this morning from 6:00 - 9:00 along with other patients and their siblings from Phoenix Children's Hospital and be a part of the Good Morning Arizona show with Brad Perry on channel 3. All the kids got to stuff their own bears. We had to wake up at 4:00 in the morning! Kenzie did not feel too well and spent a lot of time laying down on a big bear but she had fun. She met a new friend, Natalie, who also had a brain tumor. She also got to see Cathy from the clinic. She really likes Cathy. Carson spent at least a 1/2 hour just combing and washing his bear. He spent some more time biting everyone, including Brad's camera man, with a stuffed snake. Brayden got tripped by the extension cords from the TV truck so him and Brad went to find the camera man and demand a dollar. The kids had fun. Tomorrow is the next treatment. If her blood counts are too low she may not get a treatment. She may get a blood transfusion and take a week off of chemo.

Another Hospital Trip

Makenzie had her 6th treatment on Wednesday. She was not feeling well and on the way home she threw up. Then she threw up again at home. Then we found that she was having trouble swallowing water. She would gag herself and choke each time she swallowed. So we called the doctor and he sent us back to the ER and they admitted her to the hospital. They checked her shunt and it was working fine. They also did a detailed MRI to check for a cause of her nausea, headache, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. They were concerned the tumor may have grown. The MRI showed nothing bad that we didn't already know about. Her ventricles were the same size, the tumor has not grown and is 2 inches from the part of the brain stem that controls nausea and vomiting. They did see some swelling around the tumor which hopefully is a sign the chemo is killing some tumor cells. Cells swell as they are damaged and die. The swelling can cause some of the symptoms she has been experiencing. But they were not able to say for sure what is causing her complications. She still is not feeling well but she is swallowing better. She spent two days in the hospital and came home Friday night. We think the combination of the tumor, the chemo, and the stress of the whole situation is just getting to her. Keep praying for her. Thank you to all who have helped us and continue to help us.