Back at the hospital

Four o'clock came a little too early this morning. Xavian was Dr. Harmon's first case, so we were at Children's Hospital in Birmingham by 5:30am. Surgery came and went without a hitch. They placed a central line (CVC) on the right side of Xavian's chest. This is an external catheter that will be used to administer his chemo drugs and draw blood. It will require more care and attention on our part, but Xavian won't have to be stuck with a needle each time drugs are given (he's had enough of that over the past two weeks). We are currently in a room waiting for him to wake fully from the anesthesia, then he'll need to eat. He hasn't eaten since 2:45am when all he had was three ounces of clear Pedialyte.

The incision on Xavian's head continues to heal well. The doctors all seem to be impressed with his progress. We met with Dr. Reddy earlier and found out that the chemo treatments will begin tomorrow. We expect to be here for approximately a week before going home. While we are here, we will have to limit visitors since Xavian's immune system will be crippled and we're not sure what his response to the chemotherapy will be while it is being administered.

Thanks for all the prayers this morning. We'll post updates as the week progresses.