Round 4: Get In, Get Out, Get Home.

I'm hoping that this is the only time I'll blog from the hospital during Round 4.

The plan, according to the very wise Carol High Hair, is to get in, get out, get home. GIGO! And oh...I guess by now you've figured out that Spencer's counts were solid enough to start chemo. I ran him around the corner for a blood draw Tuesday morning and his ANC was 1040 (just had to be over 1,000), so we were able to check in on Wednesday and get this train a'rollin'. We were ALMOST delayed AGAIN due to a hospital water line break but Spencer is a priority patient so they worked it out. We're in a room in a very quiet section of the floor that I didn't even know existed! Todd was able to come when we checked in and everything has been super low-key, just how I like it.

This is the last round of Induction Chemo, meaning it kills the cells they could see (even though they haven't seen anything since after round 1). The final rounds will be to catch any little bastards that are hiding in there. Round 4 started Wednesday evening and runs for 96 hours straight, wrapping up Sunday. He also receives oral chemo twice a day. This round is almost identical to the 1st and 3rd and he made those his bitch, pardon my sailor-speak. And also pardon me but I may have a little chemo-brain-by-association because I've been repeating myself A LOT when blogging about this experience. During the last round, it was open for discussion regarding him recovering at home or in the hospital. It didn't go our way and we were here for 15 days. This time, his doc said he's pushing for him to recover at home...he wants us to go. I want to see someone try and challenge him!!! Pfffffft.

They've gone so far as to ask me if Todd (who will be here when chemo is kaput) would prefer to take him home Sunday night when he's unhooked or Monday morning. That's super reassuring. They're setting up his clinic check-up for Wednesday and securing his last dose of oral chemo for us to take home. As long as everything stays nice and boring between now and hour 96, we should be home and happy in no time (and I can celebrate by watching the season finale of Game Of Thrones!!). And we'll get to be home and happy for...4 weeks, I think! I'll probably have to bring him to the clinic twice a week for check-ups but I'll do it. I'll do anything to not have to sleep at this hospital. I'd punch a SHARK in the FACE.

So like I said, things stay boring, we get to go home and enjoy Father's Day, maybe the 4th of July, and just live a little life in the sunshine. Though this is Cleveland so it could snow for all I know. As always, thank you for supporting my little dude in the many ways you all have. We're very lucky to have such a great team and hope that we can one day repay you somehow. And if you can keep him in your thoughts until we get the official word that we can blow this pop stand, that would be greatly appreciated.