last of catching up to do

what a wonderful day Monday was -we where discharged from Kloof hospital ! a lot of the staff we had made friends with during our stay were sad to see us go but asked us to come and visit and bring Deqlan back in a months time so that they could see his improvement after a few rounds of chemo

we came home and Deqlan was in his element to be to be able to crawl around in his room, laugh at the dog -see the nature ( our garden) - just to be back in his normal environment was wonderful - i t was amazing for me to to sleep in my own bed after two weeks in a bed or chair at the hospital! things started to feel a little normal again

tuesday morning dawned and we got on our way and got to Little Company of Mary hospital for the first round of chemo - Deqlan petrified to see Doctor De Jager and nurses trying to check his porto cath or take his temperature - he had enough during the last 2 weeks and really doesnt trust anybody he doesnt know - Dr De Jager is AMAZING - we really think he is wonderful and he really connects with Deqlan - you can see that he really cares about his patients and is so thorough in his explanations and check ups etc - we definitely have the right man for the job

He explained the chemo Deqlan would get during Monday and Tuesday - vincristine ( a plant extract) Etoposide for 4 hours ( once on Monday and once on Tuesday) and Carboplatin ( toxic to bone marrow) - main side effects are hair loss, bone marrow depletion and nausea - luckily they give something for the nausea

The paediatric oncolocy ward at LCM is wonderful - there are only 3 rooms, so very private - bright and cherry pictures and rooms really cheer us up and to have a room with a view , even if its was the parking lot, also lightened the room up - kloof hospital was four constant walls which eventually drive you to cabin fever! the staff are amazing and so wonderful and caring - again, i feel we are at the right place now - its so comforting to have a church on sight as well as the regular visits from the nuns to see how we are - they are amazing and praying for Deqlan constantly - we really had a vey comfie and pleasant stay

The chemo went through Deqlans port with no problems and little fuss -i can definitely agree having a port is much easier then having to insert a drip each time! fortunately, no side effects - Deqlan is his happy self - besides the 4 teeth currently pushing through at the moment - the poor little guy screams in pain - can you believe ow strong he is to go through all of this at the same time and still smile and laugh!

Deqlan is Dads boy at the moment - whenever he sees Mark he insists on getting into his arms - shame i love watching the two of them together- they love each other so very very much

We where so glad to leave LCM this morning as we knew we were coming home and this time for over a week ! we need to go back for the second round 2 -4 july - so glad we have a bit of normal time at home together - being at home now is a real treat for me

deqlans eye has gotten a lot darker and more swollen after the last few days- a conditom the doc calls racoon eye = he says it shouldnt get any worse as te chemo will stop the cells growing ans should now start shrinking and disapearing- we should see an improvement in about 1 month - it looks very sore - but doesnt seem to worry him at all

Thank you to you all for the amazing amount of love,support and prayers weecieve each day -plse continue to pray for our beautiful deqlan

all our love
mark,samm.deqlan