More Tests – March 19, 2009
Malachi starts his first full day at the IWK Health Centre with a CT Scan of his chest, specifically the lungs. If Malachi’s tumour is indeed a “malignant process”, it is critical to determine whether or not anything has spread to the lungs. Results will be available later today.
Malachi met his physiotherapy, Kyleigh. She brought him a set of crutches and trained him on using them. He also spent some time in the “life sciences room”, which is essentially a game room staffed with a combination of “child life specialists” (staff whose job is to befriend the kids) and volunteers. He also met a therapy dog, who comes in from time to time to bring a smile to the kids’ faces.
We received some test results today. Malachi’s blood tests came back normal, which is both good and bad. It partly rules out some scary options, but it also rules out the possibility of the problem in his bone being an infection. That leaves a “malignant process” as the only real explanation for the tumour in his leg.
The big news of the day: The CT Scan of his lungs showed no sign of any abnormalities. That means that if the tumour is malignant, it is currently localized to the leg only, which drastically increases the treatment options and probability of success.
Malachi began feeling discouraged about his mobility today, realizing that he has several months ahead of him during which he’ll be limited to a wheelchair or crutches. He has also been in lots of pain, but thankfully the hospital staff are great at managing pain with medications.
On a good note, however, Malachi had a good long chat with his cousin Ryan Robichaud. That cheered him up a lot.
