Chemotherapy has officially begun

The chemotherapy process has officially begun. Cael has started an anti-seizure medicine to reduce the risk of seizures while on the chemotherapy medications. Tomorrow he will get another dose of that, and also start the first chemo drug. He will start with Busulfan, which he will get for 4 days. Then it will be Cytoxan for 4 days, then 1 day of rest, with the stem cell infusion happening next Friday, October 26. He gets the Busulfan every 6 hours, and the Cytoxan is just once a day. He is also getting fluids around the clock to make sure he is very well hydrated. They are giving him penicillin as a preventative antibiotic.

The side effects of the chemo are nasty. For Busulfan the side effects are seizures, rapid heart rate, darkening of the skin, sterility and rarely liver or lung problems. The seizures are being addressed by the anti seizure medicine he received tonight and will get in the morning. Sterility affects about 25% of the patients who receive Busulfan.

Side effects of Cytoxan are upset stomach and vomiting, mouth sores and stomach ulcers, fluid retention with seizures, diarrhea, bladder problems that cause pain when urinating, hair loss, skin rashes, and rarely heart damage, cancer, lung damage, and blurred vision.

Now, I realize that these side effects are awful. I also know that several people will wonder why we don't try more natural things to help. The thing is there is no other way to cure SCID. SCID is not like cancer. It isn't that Cael has bad cells, as it is with cancer. Cael just doesn't have the cells. He is missing his T cells, B cells and some lymphocytes. The reason he goes through chemo is to get rid of what little amount he does have so when the new cells come in, they won't attack his existing cells, thinking they are a foreign body.

I am nervous about what is to come in the next few weeks. I really hope he does well with it and doesn't get TOO sick.