Tonight we set out on our journey home after exactly four months in Seattle. As Idan pointed out to us, we arrived on June 19th and we are leaving on October 19th. We never imagined heading home so soon, and we are fortunate that everything has gone relatively smoothly until this point.
We still have a long road ahead of us. Idan’s ANC is still causing trouble by dipping low every week or so. This means we need to monitor his neutrophils closely and give him GCSF shots when they drop to the 500 range. After getting a shot last Monday he went only one week before needing another one this past Tuesday. Luckily for us, Idan is a super super champ when it comes to needle pokes and would put to shame most adults to shame with his courage. Going forward, we will be doing these shots at home ourselves, as the set up in NYC is a bit different.
We will still have to go to Idan’s NYC doctor once or twice a week for check up and blood draws and monitor everything closely. Idan’s immune system is still a long way away from fully reconstituting, so we will continue to be in isolation for the next year.
Speaking of blood draws, Idan got a special treat this past week. As you all know, Idan is obsessed with playing doctor and performing procedures and blood draws on all his stuffed animals. This week, during his last poke for a blood draw at the clinic, the nurse asked him if he wanted to connect the vial to the vacutanor himself. Idan is an expert. He knows from practice how to insert a vial into a vacutanor and draw blood as he has done it a million times on his “friends.” With a bashful smile, Idan grabbed the vial in his right hand, while the butterfly needle was in his left arm, he stuck the vial into the vacutanor and drew his own blood. He got to do a 2nd vial too. He could not have been happier.
Tonight we begin the long journey home and hope to avoid sneezing people at the airport. This time tomorrow, we will be tucking Idan into his very own bed. Goodbye Seattle, hello home sweet home.