The Room 4E-61 Open

Over the weekend, the Bingold family brought a putting green to Jack. It's been a great source of entertainment and of course, competition. As you can see, his friends have created a difficult course, complete with obstacles and sand traps (the floor). It's got a great view of the mountains too! Yesterday his nurse walked in, saw the putting green and said, "Well this is a first!"

Jack is also starting to feel his first side effects from the chemo. He had a sore in his mouth that tested positive for strep throat, but after just one day of penicillin, the nurses say it looks much better. He also has been experiencing a facial edema, which means his face is swelling. This is a side effect the doctors have never seen. Normally, patients experience swelling in their feet or stomach. We have met with a few different types of doctors and have had several different tests done, and the consensus is that the swelling is not dangerous. At this point, the doctors are waiting it out to see if it goes down.

Jack's next bone marrow biopsy is scheduled for Friday morning. This is the test that will determine if he needs to have an additional round of chemo next week. Other than the strep and swelling, things are going well. Usually by this point, patients have lost both their energy and appetite, and Jack still has both of those things. He also feels healthy, and appreciates all the support he is getting from everyone. Thank you!

Days 5, 6 & 7

Today is the last day of this round of chemo! Jack is still feeling great, and everyone that comes to see him says they wouldn't know anything was wrong with him if he weren't in the hospital. He's staying positive just like we all knew he would :)
Jack finally got his glasses! He has been sent a few books from some of our friends and relatives (thank you!), and we're working on getting his Xbox set up. He is also able to work without keeping his monitor within 6 inches of his face, so he should be much more productive.
Also, Jack hasn't had any takers on the biking challenge and last night he went 20 miles! He says he's going to hit a homerun his first night back out at softball, so he needs to make sure he's ready to run those bases.
Thanks again for all the love and support! It means a lot :)

Days 3 and 4

Jack finished up his last dose of Daunorubicin, and the doctors decided to give him the extra dose since he has been handling it so well. For the rest of the week, he will just be getting the Ara-C. He says he is still feeling great.
He has been keeping up with his biking, trying to create a new personal best every day. If you are curious, his current record is 5 miles in 14 minutes and 20 seconds, but he will surely try to beat that tomorrow. He also wanted to say, "Anyone who wants to get their butt kicked can come challenge me."
His dad was able to get a pair of glasses made and they should be here this afternoon. Jack's boss also stopped by yesterday to discuss things that Jack can do from here to log some hours and stay busy. He also brought a Dallas Cowboys pillow pet for Jack, even though he said it burned his hands while he was holding it (his boss is an Eagles fan)
Once Jack can see, we will hook up an Xbox for him, get a cribbage board in here and watch a movie or two (or three, or four). In the meantime, we will keep having bicycle races and looking forward to the end of his chemo!

Day Two

Good news! Today Jack got the packing out of his nose! He's extremely excited about that, as that was the thing that was making him the most uncomfortable. His dad was also able to get him a pair of glasses from his optometrist. They should be ready by the middle of the week. Today we also met our new doctor, who will be caring for Jack for the next two weeks. His name is Dr. Reeder, and from what we've heard, he's the best in his field. That seems to be a recurring theme at the Mayo Clinic. (FYI – the doctors at here are on two-week rounds, so it's normal for us to see more than one doctor throughout the course of Jack's treatment. They all work and consult as a team so they are well informed about each patient they see)
Day two of chemo was relatively uneventful, which is again, a good thing. The doctors are upping his dose of the Daunorubicin, because his liver seems equipped to handle it. They may extend that treatment one more day depending on how his body responds. Jack still says he isn't feeling any side effects!
Again, we're completely overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we're getting from friends and family. Thank you all so much!

Day One- Done!

Although today has been pretty uneventful, I still thought we should update the blog. Jack started chemo yesterday around 5pm. He did very well! He says he is feeling ok, even with the continuous IV of Ara-C. He is having some difficulty seeing, because he cannot wear his contacts while receiving chemo. For those of you who don't know, without his contacts Jack is just about legally blind. Needless to say, today has been a bit boring for him since he can't see the TV, read magazines or books, or even see facial expressions. His nurse called me his "seeing eye wife". The good news is, Jack's Dad and Grandpa Pochardt are working hard to find an old pair of glasses that will get him by until he can wear his contacts again. The Mayo Clinic also has an optometrist on staff, so one way or another we will get him seeing again.

Jack also needs to stay active, which can be difficult since he can't leave his room or the hallway just outside of his room. His friend Chase searched around and found him a stationary bike, so that has been keeping him busy today. As you can see in this picture, he is really taking his biking seriously :)
If you are wondering, the thing in Jack's nose is packing to prevent bleeding. It's basically a 5.5 inch long balloon that puts pressure on his blood vessels. He has had that in since Friday morning, and so far, he says it has been the most uncomfortable thing he has experienced (bone marrow biopsies included!) He should get that out sometime tomorrow. The white netting on his arm is covering his PICC line which is where the doctors and nurses draw blood, deliver IVs, and give him his chemo. This prevents him from getting poked with needles multiple times a day. Also, he really dislikes wearing hospital gowns, so athletic shorts are his attire of choice.

There really isn't a whole lot of new information to share today. The nurses say that being bored is a good thing, because it means he isn't feeling too many side effects from the chemo. I'll update more as the week goes on!

Treatment

Jack will begin a 7 day chemotherapy regimen today that consists of two drugs, Ara-C (Cytarabine) and Daunorubicin (spelling might be off on those). Ara-C will be given continuously for 24 hours a day, for 7 days. For the first 3 days, Daunorubicin will be given for 15 minutes a day.
7 days after this round of chemotherapy ends, Jack will have another bone marrow biopsy. If there are additional cancer cells in that biopsy, he will begin another 7 day round with the same drugs. If there are no cancer cells in the biopsy, then we will wait an additional 14 days to determine what his cells look like as they grow back. Depending on those test results, the doctors will decide how to proceed with treatment.
Jack will be in the Mayo Clinic for a minimum of 4 weeks, possibly more depending on test results after this round of chemo.

THANK YOU
We also want to say a big thank you for the prayers, words of encouragement and support. The past few days have been a whirlwind, and it is comforting to know that we have such a large support system of friends and family behind us. Thank you!

What's Going On...

I'm not sure what everyone knows/doesn't know, so I will start from the beginning.
Last Friday, 2/10, Jack had a pretty bad nosebleed that lasted long enough for us to check him into the ER. While we were there, the doctor cauterized his nose to stop the bleeding, and ran some blood tests. After getting the results, we learned that Jack's white blood cell, red blood cell, hemoglobin, hematocrit and platelet levels were extremely low. The doctor transferred us to a larger hospital that had a hematologist on site to see what was causing his low counts. After a weekend in the hospital, a blood and platelet transfusion, and a bone marrow biopsy, we were released.
Later that week, we got a call from the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, asking to schedule an appointment to come in and meet with one of their hematologists/oncologists. They had been given Jack's bone marrow biopsy results, and wanted him to undergo additional testing. We came in and met with Dr. Lisa Sproat who diagnosed Jack with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). We had another bone marrow biopsy done at the Mayo Clinic for further testing and confirmation of the preliminary diagnosis. We have not yet received full results from that biopsy, but Dr. Sproat says initial results confirm her diagnosis.
Dr. Sproat also says that 80%-90% of people go into remission after the first round of chemo. There will be additional treatment needed to cure it, but this type of leukemia is curable and Jack has a few things on his side. His age and his white blood cell count are working in his favor, and the Mayo Clinic is said to be one of the best hospital systems in the country, with world renowned doctors and cutting edge treatments. We feel like Jack is in good hands here, and as you can see, he is staying positive as well! :)