I have a 2.5 year old with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia?
He was diagnosed on Feb 22 and started treatment on Feb 26th, 2008.He is undergoing chemo and responding to treatment well and has been in remission since March 4th, 2008. He will be on chemo/treatment for a little over 3 years. I am just wondering what the future holds for him.
Will he be able to play sports? start kindergarten? have children? etc
This is all assuming his treatment goes well and no major setbacks.
www.brycebelt.net
Lindsey if you go to www.brycebelt.net and read the about me page it tells his story. But he became sick flu like about a week before, swollen lymph nodes, complaining of stomach pain which was swollen spleen and liver, and bruising. The only symptom he had for a long period was night sweats. Now that he's in remission he no longer has night sweats. Good luck to you and your daughter.
- Lindsey
wow i am so sorry that your little one has to deal with this it just dont seem fair i would assume that he could have a normal life after all is well.... quick question for you how did you find this just wondering i have a 3yo lil girl going threw some thing with her lymph nodes that she had removed thursday plz let me know something as i am so scared i have a question posted you could possibly help me out some.... thank goodness your lil one is ok.... just keep all of his doc appointments and all should go well thanks alot and best of wishes may god bless you and your family
wow what a strong lil man i checked out the your web page what a tough one he is doing great though... i will keep him and your family in our prayers and will be thinking about you all... my daughter had surgery thursday to have a lymph node removed and tested we should have the test results in this week i am a nervous wreck as i bet you know what i am talking about but gotta keep faith in the lord and pray he does the right thing for each and everyone of us.. my daughter has had the nightsweats for about 6months i want to say.. she also has gained some weight but its in her stomach which she has asthma so is on steroids alot her lymph node started swelling april 1st they gave her antibiotics the whole month and finally on the 15 of may they removed it the doc said it was in a deeper lymph node coming up to the skin and was spreading back to the muscle in her neck but he dont know what it is or just not saying anything until the results... oh my i am so sorry you have enough worries on your own plate and i am telling you all my problems... anyways your son is a tough boy and i hope and pray all goes well.....
- chariotofire
You really need to speak to your doctor. Every patient is different. Sometimes chemo may render a patient sterile. Most importantly, you should speak to a specialist about after-care. Your diet should be mainly plant based, at least 5-7 servings of fruit and vegetables every day, very little red meat. Please look up online diet and remission-the correlation is statistically staggering. Also, make sure he gets plenty of exercise, and NO exposure to toxins and pesticides of any kind. That means NO fertilizers, weed killers, harsh cleaners...Try to eat organic food if you can afford it (there's no pesticides, hormones, dyes and preservatives). You can consult with a nutritionist who specializes in cancer recovery care. (Ask your oncologist to recommend someone. If they don't have one, look online, or start with other doctors).
If he makes a complete recovery, then there should be no reason why he can't live like a normal boy and go to school and play sports. But your doctor/pediatrician will be able to assess this as he gets older. Good luck.
- Panda
It's very good that your son has gone into remission and now it is important to keep him that way (ALL can develop fast as you know). He should be able to live a relatively normal life when he is 'off treatment' . . this takes time . . one of the best ways to find out answers to your specific questions is to join a support group of other parents with young children who have ALL.
ACOR: Support Group for ALL Kids
http://listserv.acor.org/archives/all-kids.html
You should also do your own research into the disease and learn as much as you possibly can:
ALL websites
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/childALL/patient
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Treatment_of_Children_with_Acute_Lymphocytic_Leukemia_24.asp
http://www.curesearch.org
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=7049
http://www.acor.org/leukemia/all.html
- momofthreemiracles
My son is 18 months old and was diagnosed with ALL on September 28 2007. He began remission on November 2.
Does he have B-Cell or T-Cell ALL? High Risk?
The road maps are generally the same for each child for their treatments. Unless there's a high risk involved.
My son has gone through what your son is going through and for him it went well. There have so far been 6 inpatient issues that he's been in the hospital for (Fever and Neutropenia, infection, broken Broviac etc)... but all in all it's going great.
Your son is probably on the interim maintenance phase? Or close to it. That's a breeze. Immune system is generally really good in that phase. My son just began the delayed intensification reinduction and reconsolodation phase 2 months ago. It's suppoed to last 2 months but he had 4 weeks off due to his immune system, a cold, low ANC, low Platelets, etc it was one thing right after another.
In another 3 weeks, my son will begin maintenance phase and will be on it for 2 1/2 years. I am so excited that we will not being driving to the hospital once a week and he will have a high ANC and be able to do normal kid stuff.
In answer, yes your child will be able to go to school. He's 2 1/2 now and the treatment goes for three years so he might start kindergarten a little late (perhaps) but probably not because he's going to be on maintenance phase by then. He can play sports after his treatment is over- assuming he does not relapse or have anything happen physically to him during the chemo treatments. The future is bright, ALL is VERY treatable and I know it's scary. When Ian was in your son's place I was scared out of my mind. I still get scared but I am more able to look ahead and be a happier stronger mother.
Like the delayed intensification phase is rough. They get very sick, and this phase is a hard intensive chemo. a couple weeks after this phase began I sat on the floor holding my son and started bawling my eyes out. He was weak, sick, I couldn't get him to eat or drink enough and I knew we were soon to be heading for the ER. Looking at the glass half empty at first, I was upset that he'd go through TWO WHOLE MONTHS of torment. Looking at the glass half full later on I realized "HEY! It's ONLY two months and then he's on maintenance!" And then it's over! (hopefully)
Stay strong! Your son will be a normal child. I am keeping you both in my prayers and if you need anything please contact me. ineverunderstand2200@yahoo.com I've also made a yahoo group for mothers of children with cancer.
- Jall
I am sorry about your son's diagnosis. My niece was diagnosed with high risk pre b A.L.L. about 1 1/2 years ago and is currently in her maintenance phase of chemo. Your best source of information will probably come from the doctors and support groups which will connect you to families that are going through this or that have kids who are off treatment (already finsihed their 3 years treatment). I have read about a few of her friends online (usually caringbridge websites) who are finished with A.L.L. treatment and they are back in school (some even in school on maintenance) and playing sports.
Leukemia — Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, causes, risk factors, treatment of this blood-related cancer.
Orignal From: I have a 2.5 year old with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia?
No comments:
Post a Comment