October 2006 - November 2006

Head Wound Photos from an infection during/at the end of chemo round 3 (end of September and beginning of October) - I am not going to post the photos as images, just links, so if you are not wanting to see the images of how bad the back of Asher's head has gotten, you don't have to click on the links.
Asher's Head 9/24/06 - went to PICU with 105 temps and unstable blood pressure and oxygen levels
Asher's Head 10/1/06
Asher's Head 10/2/06
Asher's Head 10/3/06
Asher's Head 10/4/06 am
Asher's Head 10/4/06 am bandage
Asher's Head 10/4/06 pm
Asher's Head 10/5/06 am
Asher's Head 10/6/06 when the neurosurgeon looked at it and said TIME FOR SURGERY

10-6-06
First Surgery to remove dead tissue
from head wound area

Before surgery - after the neurosurgeon
was in looking at the wound and decided
it was time for debridement



10-7-06
Morning - needed oxygen


Tummy still enlarged:


Drinking ice water:


Playing Game Boy Advance before surgery:




A sucker and a Game boy....




A smile - hadn't seen one in awhile now!


Holding finger puppets that I got him:


Second Debridement - before going into surgery


taking photos with his camera


10-8-06
Swelling in face/eyelids this morning


Large belly this morning:


Third Surgery for Head Wound
from gram negative rod bacteria
which showed positive today
from Friday's tissue culture

In the OR - this is the bandage over the Integra:


After surgery - back in 2nd floor room:




10-10-06
Girls visit - first time in several weeks since Asher's counts were so low for so long




10-10-06
Aubree started trying to eat a sheet of Asher's stickers and he got upset at her for doing that



10-12-06
Asher's feet still hurt when he walks or pushes his bike, but he is willing to try when I make him do it....the more he does it the more loose he will get.



Girls came to visit again:




10-12-06
These two photos are of the hole in Asher's head which has Integra on it (this is 4 days after the Integra was put on):
photo 1 - click here
photo 2 - click here

Dressing change over Integra (just gauze now, yellow part is gone):


Prize that Asher picked from the box for being good in the treatment room:


10-14-06 - smiling, giggling, and laughing again
Asher's face is still pretty swollen:




10-16-06
We were playing in his bed and the nurse took our photo:

Afternoon nap:

Talking to daddy on the phone:


10-17-06
Asher has lost most of his eyebrows now, especially the right eyebrow (has maybe 5 hairs left) and the left one is on its way to that. He is smiling, giggling, playing catch, and today he started taking steps on his own. Today was his first day off of morphine in several weeks! Also, Daddy and the girls came to see Asher today and since he is still on droplet precautions (isolation) he is stuck in his room but they had a good time there. Asher's nurse even let him be pole free for several hours in the early afternoon.

Walked about 4-5 feet on his own:

Playing catch with a big balloon ball with mom (and pretending it was a pillow):


10-18-06
The physical therapist brought Asher a walker today. At first he didn't think much of it. Then Alexa went walking with it and then he wanted it back and walked and walked. He even went out of his room and got upset when I made him come back because he is still on restrictions (been 6 days now) for his runny nose (which isn't running much anymore). Asher played with his sisters again today. He has been telling daddy what Halloween costumes to get him and the girls (he wants to be a ghost and Aubree should be a pig (or a pumpkin) and Alexa should be a kitty cat).



10-20-06
Surgery #4 this month
After initially waking up from surgery in the recovery room - sleeping on mom

Eating pretzels and drinking mountain dew!

Vac Therapy System


10-21-06
Sleeping in all his tubes:

Lots of smiles and joy today:


First day in playroom in weeks!


First thing Asher said when he woke this morning is he wanted his sisters to come. Several hours with family today - daddy's 33rd birthday:


10-22-06
Just Asher and me today....
Asher's NG tube got yucky from surgery on Friday so I pulled it out and put in a new one today.

He had a great day of walking, biking, painting and playing. Asher's pump VAC fits on the front of his walker, but is really too heavy for Asher to walk with it like that so I carry it.




10-23-06
The speech therapist working with Asher by "reading" a book together (more like talking about the pictures in the book)


10-27-06
Silly and Cute Boy


Head Dressing Change:
head wound
Eating a cookie still kind of asleep after anesthetic for head dressing change....then sleeping holding cupcakes....he slept until after 6pm from the 2pm procedure:


Playing with Aubree...."floating" a butterfly in the air for Aubree:


Walking with Daddy holding a finger....but he also took 4 steps all on his own!


10-28-06
Discharged from hospital to go home to allow the head wound to heal more: