Admission: May 6

• 12:45 pm
Let the boy eat! Our team feels they've come to the most reasonable explanation for Jaxon's recent issues. Though no kidney stone was seen, his symptoms match up to there being one. He may have passed it already, or it is not large enough to have caused pain or blockage. His lower than expected coagulation factor is likely a delayed side effect of the Pegaspargase he received on Day 4. It is known to cause irritation to other organs. So we have seen two separate issues that have inter-mingling symptoms. The dehydration is to be expected, considering these other issues. He's feeling much more chipper today, and was quick to give me his food order ... water, then a PBJ sandwich, then pizza. Doc says no to that so he's starting off with some apple juice, water and yogurt. In about half an hour we'll try some digestive cookies. The bowel issue is likely because his body saw other things happening that took all the attention away from the gut. Now that we have a good idea of what else has been happening, the hope is that the gut issues will resolve as well. He will still be going for a repeat X-ray to check for changes to the irritated portion of his bowel. We are hopeful that things continue to improve so that we can still go ahead with his final clinic procedures on Thursday of this week.

• 2:05 pm
Paul saw our Top Doc (his name is Dr. David Dix, but we call him Lord Business) in the hallway downstairs. He's not convinced it's a stone, but will be in touch with us in the next day or so. Will keep you posted. When I told one of the Oncology Residents that Dix wasn't so sure about the kidney stone, she grinned and said she was looking forward to debating him on that conclusion. I think he'll be stopping by to see us tomorrow.

Dr. Dix' Nurse Clinician, Karen, came by our room this afternoon and we had a good little chat. I love how very personal this Oncology team is. We talked about Jax and the changes coming to the hospital and RMH, and even her retirement. I hope it won't be in the next 3 years! Both Karen and Dr. Dix assured us (separately) that this will likely be just a blip on Jaxon's road to recovery. Some kids sail right through this phase with no complications, some kids need a bit (or a lot) of extra TLC.

• 10:00 pm
Consensus from our medical team is that Jax is likely passing (or has already passed) some crystals (itty bitty kidney stones). A follow-up ultrasound today (first one taken Sunday evening) shows a portion of his large intestine is still irritated, but that there is no blockage. Time and a few gentle laxatives are expected to resolve the buildup of gas and other stuff that is found in large intestines. Nurses can hear movement in his belly. It is not at all unusual for a child's gut to get lazy and take a holiday when the body is dealing with all the other things that come along with chemotherapy. He has been experiencing some uncomfortable gas pains as we wait for things to get moving.

We are hoping to get him up on his feet tomorrow. He's been resting a whole lot this past few week with very little walking. The chemo also causes joint pain, so he is feeling the effects of that in his hips and isn't confident in his strength to walk, even with assistance. We hope to have a visit from the physio team tomorrow for some ideas and encouragement to get him more mobile. Obviously, walking and moving will help with the bowel issues.

Blood and urine culture lab results show no sign of infection.

His blood counts and electrolytes are at satisfactory levels.