This page contains the latest updates from the Nelson family:
Update - January 30
Eric will go for a "practice" run this Tuesday and will actually start the radiation treatments this Wednesday. The treatments will be everyday, M - F, for 6 weeks. They probably won't take any MRIs and/or CT scans until a few weeks after the treatments are over, so we won't know what's happening until then. Eric went to school for a little while yesterday and was happy to see his friends. The neurosurgeons released him to go to school as tolerated, but we don't know how tired the radiation will make him, so we are waiting to see how it effects him and then decide how often he will go.
Update - January 16
Eric came home today about 6pm. We had our family Christmas, and he is happily playing his new Lego Batman game. We go in for a lumbar tap Thursday, then we will be starting radiation probably the week after that.
Thank you for all your support. I don't think we could have done it without it.
Cathy
Update - January 15
Eric's fever broke about 6am this morning without Tylenol, so they are thinking it is not an infection, but a post-op fever. They will observe him tonight to see if he does the same thing. Please pray that the fever doesn't come back!!!
He had also said he had some double vision last night, but the neurosurgeon came in today and said the shunt was definitely working.
Cathy
Update - January 14
Eric now has developed a fever...we don't know why yet
Update - January 13
Hello,
The shunt surgery was successful! It is working! Now, we just have to pray that it KEEPS working. If all goes well, we go home this weekend to have Christmas and rest for a while before we start treatment on the tumor. We still have not gotten the pathology report back yet.
Cathy
Update - January 11
Eric woke up at 4:30pm this afternoon when Paul M and Brian Braggs came into his room and had a good little conversation. When the Felicianos came in, he asked for his DS, ate half a hot dog and ice cream. He's back!!!
The neurosurgeon said Eric was doing "Great", and that the fluid had no pink in it, so we are good to go Tuesday.
As Danielle said, "When you can't go to Shorewood, Shorewood comes to you..."
Thanks.Again.
Eric seems like his old self again, as I wrote you last, so that's a really good thing! He goes in for a 3 hr MRI tomorrow (Mon), for which he will be sedated. Tuesday is the shunt. So, for prayer requests, I guess we are at:
1. Pray for successful shunt surgery and
2. Pray that the shunt WORKS with no complications
If all goes well, we could be home by next weekend.
Cathy
Update - January 10
Hello,
Eric has been very much in pain, distraught, and depressed these last two days. Some of the side effects of the surgery have been light sensitivity and blurry vision, so he can't play his video games. All he does is lay in the dark and cry. He doesn't think he's getting out of here any time soon; they think he has ICU psycosis. As you can imagine, this is breaking my heart.
We are stil scheduled to have the shunt put in Tuesday, stay here for a few days and be home on the weekend. The blood cell count is looking better and better each day.
So, please pray for Eric's physical and mental healing.
Thanks,
Cathy
Update - January 9
Hello folks,
Eric will get his shunt in next Tuesday IF his brain fluid is clear with no remaining blood cells in it because any blood cells would clot the shunt; we would be back here for another 3 weeks. So, the specific prayer request I would ask for is that his fluid is clear by Tuesday so the shunt can go in. Eric is healing, but he is very crabby, tired, and uncomfortable, as one can imagine.
Thanks,
Cathy
Update - January 8
Eric's shunt will be put in next Tuesday. The Nelson's were hoping it would happen alittle sooner. However, the tumor can be treated by radiation whether it is benign or malignant and the success rate is high. Praise the Lord.
Update from Cathy - January 6
Hi everyone,
Eric has had a successful biopsy surgery; they were able to get enough for a biopsy. Preliminary assessment is that it is a germinoma, a benign tumor that is treatable by radiation. We have a long road ahead of us, including making sure there are no complications from this surgery within the next few hours, then a shunt over the next few days, then radiation, but it is baby steps now and long term planning.
Thank you so much for your support and prayers.
Cathy
Update - January 6, 2009
As of 5:30, they are finished with the tissue sampling and have begun closing. This will take about an hour. They were unable to remove any of the tumor because of the consistency and location of the tumor. But the preliminary pathology reports say that it looks benign. So, they are optimistic about their treatment options. Keep praying... One more hour of surgery and then allowing the anesthesia to wear off. It will be a long night for the Nelson family. But, praise God for carrying them through this incredibly long and stressful day!
As of 2:30, they have about one more hour of tissue sampling to do and it will take about one hour to close him up, so we are looking at at least 2 more hours of surgery. Eric is tolerating the procedure very well.
As of 12:30pm they had inserted the scope and were cleansing the area before they could take any samples. Eric is doing well.
After a couple hours of prepping Eric for surgery, they began his surgery at approximately 11:30am.
Update - January 5, 2009
Eric has surgery tomorrow. They will take him at 8am and hope to begin by 9:30am. Please pray throughout the day. The surgery could take most of the day, depending on what they find. According to Shelly, Eric has been busy playing Farmopoly today and seems to have accepted this 3rd surgery in good spirits. As it draws closer to the time of surgery, please pray for Jim and Cathy to find comfort peace and rest. They are getting anxious, as can be expected. All 24 hours of our prayer vigil were filled with prayer warriors. Let's join them and keep this family at Jesus' feet!
Update - January 2, 2009
Eric will be having surgery Tuesday to biopsy the tumor. If the tumor is benign, they will remove as much as they can to ease the pressure and hopefully it will not grow back. If it is malignant, they will close him back up and make a plan for radiation treatment to shrink the tumor. We will be having sign-ups for a 24 hour prayer vigil on Sunday morning. The prayer vigil will begin at 12am Tuesday morning and end at 12am Wednesday morning. You can sign up for one hour of prayer at a time or share an hour with someone.
Update - Jauary 1, 2009
Lisa and I visited with the Nelsons this morning. Plans once again have changed, It appears that Jim and Cathy will have to make a decision regarding Eric's brain surgery within the next 3 days. They have two opinions currently and are meeting with Chicago Children's Hospital staff tomorrow for a third opinion. If all three agree -Eric will have surgery probably within 5 days. They will biopsy the tumor and while the surgery is taking place, they will decide the treatment.
Pray for wisdom to be given to Jim and Cathy
Pray for wisdom and skill for doctors
Pray for Eric's physical healing.
Side note: Our faith is constantly being challenged with situations in life. As I have watched Jim and Cathy, Aunt Shelly and the entire family I am encouraged that they are finding strength during this challenging time. Pray that God is glorified and that many people will have their hearts softened towards God. I'm proud of Jim, Cathy, Shelly, Danielle, Grandpas' and Grandma Nelson. They are an awesome family. Most of all, I am proud of the courage of Eric. Thanks be to our God that our lives are in his hands.
Your prayers and gracious comments have touched Jim and Cathy deeply!
12-31-08 Jim and Cathy met with the radiologist today regarding radiation therapy and the radiologist will not do radiation without a biopsy. This is very discouraging news for the Nelson family. As of today they are exhausted and facing the following:
1. One more week in the hospital to take care of the fluid.
2. If all goes well this week, he will be able to go home for a few days to have Christmas with his family.
3. They will need to make the difficult decision in the next 2 or 3 weeks regarding whether to allow the biopsy or to get a second opinion about the radiation treatments.
12-30-08 Eric's doctor returned from vacation on Monday, December 29th. It turns out that the tumor is in a difficult position to get to and it would be too risky to perform surgery. It was decided to try radiation treatments. The great news is that this treatment has a high success rate. The family was told of a case similar to Eric's, where the patient's tumor was taken care of after only one treatment. So, they are going to take the tube out again.
The Nelson's have asked for prayer for the following concerns:
1. Pray that the swelling will not continue.
2. Pray that Eric will be able to go home in a few days.
3. Pray that the fluid will not build up again.
4. Pray for them as they work with an oncologist to set up radiation treatment.