So Reba’s blood tests have been great the past three weeks, I dare say normal!

Last Thursday we met with her Doctors and they did let us know that her tumor has shrunk 73%, not the 80-90% that they had told us before. Nik luckily had caught an error on the last MRI report and made sure they looked into it – unfortunately it revealed less progress than we were previously told…

The tumor really measures 3.8cm x 6.1cm x 4.7cm.      

So while this is a little disappointing, the most important thing is that the tumor is shrinking, and not growing.

Her urine levels are still elevated above normal. Her VMA is 43.6 (normal is under 25) and her HVA is 98.2 (normal is under 35).

On Monday the 17th, Reba has another MRI. Please keep her in your prayers that the tumor is continuing to shrink!

Thank you so much.

   
 

We are so utterly thrilled to share the good news- the scans revealed that the tumor has shrunk 80-90%!!! Thank God!!!

Reba does not need to continue chemotherapy.

At this point she will be under watchful observation. Another MRI in 4 weeks, another MIBG in 12 weeks. Weekly blood draws.

This is the best news we have ever received. A huge burden of worry is lifted as we know now the chemo is working, and the tumor has shrunk so much.

We really believe in answered prayer and have felt the love and support from all family and friends. We are so grateful to our Doctors. We are speechless and humbled by our great news.

While she is not cancer-free yet, this news is all moving in the right direction. We love everyone and everything haha!!

Oh my gosh, it has been a long week- we are sooooo happy to be going home right now for a nice long weekend at home!

Tuesday Reba had a blood transfusion, platelet infusion and the radioactive isotope injection for her MIBG scan.

Wednesday Reba had the MIBG scan. She was put under general anesthesia.

Thursday (today) Reba had an MRI scan, also put under general anesthesia.

 

The hardest part was having her not eat before the scans. A hungry baby is Not a happy baby!

We are so happy all that is over and we are heading home!

The results will be discussed with us next Thursday along with the new plan of action for Reba’s treatment. We are hoping for the best possible news, of course.

Happy Fourth of July! We are so incredibly lucky to live in a country with accessible, excellent health care.  We are so grateful to have Reba in such trustworthy hands.

Reba’s blood levels seemed pretty steady on Thursday. Today the home nurse came and drew blood. The results showed that Reba’s hemoglobin is 6.4 and platelets at about 30. Both are very low, but the Stanford doctors told us that transfusions can wait until morning, so we’ll be at Stanford early.

Reba has been practicing her crawl this past week and she has unfortunately started to get pretty good at it right when her platelet count is low enough to cause bruising. Hopefully after her blood transfusion and platelet infusion in the morning she will be right back at it.

 

After the infusions, she has a radioactive iodine injection scheduled at 2pm. This is the tracer that will allow the doctors to visualize the vitality of the tumor from the MIBG scan.

The MIBG scan is scheduled for Wednesday. This will mean she will be under general anesthesia, and the MRI couldn’t be scheduled on the same day.

On Thursday, Reba will have her MRI scan, which will show the size of the tumor. Again, she will be under general anesthesia.

The results from the scans will be reviewed by the oncology team and by Thursday, July 9, they should be able to tell us if Reba can stop chemo or whether more may be necessary. This is going to be a very important couple of weeks.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Today we were back at Stanford for Reba’s weekly check up. Reba finished three days of chemo and has been remaining strong.

Good news- no transfusions needed today! Her levels, while low are still holding.

Next week Reba has an MIBG scan and and an MRI scan. These scans will determine the plan from here on out.

 

 

 

Today we are back to Stanford for the fourth cycle of chemo. Today Reba got Carboplatin, Etoposide, and Doxorubicin. Tomorrow she will get Etoposide, and Saturday Etoposide as well. Then we will be back Monday for the Neulasta injection.

We are asking everyone to pray that this is her last cycle! We hope hope hope it is. July 2nd Reba will have another MRI and MIBG scan to see what the tumor size and vitality is.

If the tumor has shrunk enough and it doesn’t light up from the radioactive isotope from the MIBG (we hope!) then we may be able to “watch closely” for awhile and not continue chemotherapy.

July 9th the doctors will let us know the continued plan of action. So that will be a big day!

Thank you for continued prayers and well wishes for the sweetest little baby Reba.

 

 

 

Reba had her blood drawn at home this morning around 9am. We have been anxious to find out the results all day and finally Dr. Mavers called around 5:30pm with the good news.

It is day 11 after chemo and usually somewhere around day 10-14 is the danger zone where the white blood count gets very low. But we found out that her white blood cell count is actually really high, at 22,000. Her hemoglobin is 8.9 which is a little low but nowhere near low enough to warrant a transfusion. Platelets are 215, also great.

The best news, besides the fact that Reba doesn’t need to go to Stanford today, is that her albumin level has climbed yet again… It is now 3.9! We are amazed, and very hopeful that this a sign that the tumor is backing off.

 

 

Today Reba had her weekly checkup with Dr. Mavers and….

Reba’s levels are all great. Of note, her albumin is at a new record. Now it is 3.1 – up from Monday’s 2.9!!

Also, it’s the first time that she has not needed any transfusions after chemo. Her hemoglobin is at 9.1, her platelets are normal (~500) and her white blood cell count is surprisingly above expected (9000). We are still trying to get her magnesium level back up, it has been a little low since her second round of chemo. But, it is almost up to a normal level so we just keep giving her the oral supplement.

Occasionally, they have been collecting urine samples to measure homovanillic acid, a tumor marker for neuroblastoma. Dr. Mavers told us today that her numbers are decreasing, which is a good sign and indicates that the chemo is working.

Since Reba is 7 days into her chemo cycle we are expecting a drop in white blood cells soon (usually around day 10-14) and we’re praying that she can make it through the rest of the cycle without any fevers or exposure to any illness.

We are really excited about the results today and we are so thankful.

Chemo 4 is on the radar…

Reba had three days of chemo and today we were back at Stanford for the neulasta injection and blood test.

Her blood work was great! Levels are all maintaining, and her albumin is 2.9, the new highest record for her!

We will be back to LPCH Thursday. Thank you for prayers- they are working! Aunt Jess is in town and Wilder came to visit also with Aunt Jill and Uncle Matt. Being with family is the best medicine.

 

 

 

 

It has been a wonderful, quiet week at home, but now we are back at Stanford for Reba’s third round of chemo. Today she is receiving Cyclophosphamide and Etoposide. Tomorrow and Saturday she will get Etoposide. Then we’ll be back Monday for the Neulasta injection (white blood cell growth promoter).

Today we also got the results from her MRI. We are so thrilled to share with you all that her tumor is shrinking! The tumor went from 8.1 x 6.7 x 8.3 cm to 7.7 x 6.8 x 7.4 cm. Although the decrease may not seem drastic, it is possible that some of the cells have matured or become inactive. The lymph nodes have also decreased in size, also great news. The Doctors are encouraged by these results and they will do another MRI after the 4th chemo cycle to compare.

Also her albumin was 2.6 today which is the highest it has ever measured! This is most likely attributed to the tumor shrinking, allowing her body to process the proteins properly.