BMT Confirmation

Brenan is still neutropenic today - we've all got gloves and masks on because of his ultra-low white blood cell count. It's better this way because then he can't see me sticking my tongue out at him, which I have to do on several occasions as a little sister. He is feeling good today though, and is keeping himself busy with all the movies, books, and other fun stuff people have sent to help make this hospital stay a bit more entertaining. Being neutropenic means he has to stick to a special diet that limits any foods that might carry disease or cause an infection - such as fresh fruits and veggies - and he can't have any flowers in the room.

We did find out that Brenan will definitely be having a bone marrow transplant. This is where I get to perform my duty as the dependable sibling. I will be tested soon - in the next couple of weeks - and if I am a match (fingers crossed!) I will have bone marrow withdrawn and given to Brenan by IV. If I am not a match, the doctors will search a bone marrow database for a potential donor.

If you've been wondering what more you can do to help, besides sending good thoughts our way, please know that we are working on putting together a contribution banking account for Brenan. The account will be with Wells Fargo. Having cancer is expensive! Insurance will help but there is a hefty deductible. And every little penny can help pay bills that Brenan cannot pay since he is not working at this time and might not be able to for a while. Bank account information for Brenan will be posted next week.

Here are some photos of Brenan in action back in April. Premiere Helicopters, the school he is an instructor for, was contracted out to fly photographers and videographers around Lake Havasu for a boat show. He and his co-worker Hank had a great time flying around the Lake and the London Bridge.

Neutropenic

Since yesterday was a treatment day, today is a recovery day. Brenan is feeling a bit under the weather. Because of the dosage of chemotherapy yesterday, today he is neutropenic, meaning his white blood cell count is extremely low and he is extremely susceptable to infection. This is expectable during this stage of treatment, and not something to get too worried about - Click here to read more about neutropenia.

However, today would not be a good day to visit Brenan, as gloves and masks are required to be worn by everyone who enters his room. Please send a text or make a call instead! Also, donating platelets is very helpful to Brenan. Are you on his list to donate (Arizona residents only)? If not and you are interested in donating platelets to Brenan, please give him or Jess a call to be added. Keep in mind that platelet donation is about a 2 hour process - a good chunk of your day. If you have the time, great!

Mr. Popular had lots of visitors yesterday! Hank's wife (Hank is one of Brenan's co-workers and fellow helicopter pilot) brought framed photos of Brenan flying a helicopter over Lake Havasu. Thanks Debbie!

Contact info just in case you didn't get it from a previous post:

Arrowhead Hospital
Room 3412
18701 N. 67th Avenue
Glendale, AZ 85308
United States
623-561-1000

You may have tried calling in the past and it just kept ringing... that's fixed now! Call the number above and ask for room 3412 Bed A.

If you want to send a card:

Brenan Eiler
7327 W. Grovers Ave
Glendale, AZ 85308

Prepping for More Chemo

Brenan is on Day 15 of his hospital stay, and on Day 8 of induction chemotherapy. He was able to take the last two days off of treatment, but today he will start another round. They have started him on a saline solution for hydration, and will soon be starting him on an anti-nausea medication in the next couple of hours. He will then receive a double dosage of chemo - one through his port-a-cath, and one with a shot. He will also receive a bag of platelets today.

He is feeling good as of now... might be a good time to send him a quick text message or make a quick phone call because later this afternoon, evening, and tomorrow morning he will be feeling the effects of the medication pretty intensely.

Thanks again for everything you do for Brenan and our family!

Headshot

Brenan's friend Boyd took this picture of Brenan last week. Maybe Brenan did some modeling on the side and never told us???

Days Off

Brenan was feeling top notch today. Today and tomorrow are "off" days for chemotherapy treatment so he got an opportunity to be off the IV. He had a good appetite, ate two full dinners, and had energy for a few walks, with no nausea or vomiting.

The doctor came by to see him and confirmed earlier thoughts described in the "what if" section in the last post - that Brenan will continue with the 21-day treatment cycle and on Day 15, he will have a bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture again to see how well the chemo is working. As of today, his lymph node swelling has gone down considerably. There is a strong possibility that Brenan will still need to undergo a bone marrow transplant but this won't be known for a month or so.

Overall, things are going well and Brenan is feeling good. So far, so good!

Chemotherapy Possibilities

Brenan's doctor came by to see him today around 2:00. He said that their diagnosis for Brenan continues to be acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a combination of the two cancers. Today is his fourth day of chemotherapy treatment. He is feeling very tired and nauseous, with pressure in his head, headaches, and fatigue. These side effects are all very typical of chemotherapy. Aunt Viv suggested the use of Sea Bands to help with the nausea. Dad went to the store yesterday and Brenan is wearing them now.

Because of his fatigue, we had to turn away some visitors today, and we apologize. Although Brenan greatly appreciates every person who comes to see him and is so grateful for the support, sometimes he is unable to handle too much conversation or visiting. Don't be surprised if visiting for a few minutes turns out to be a session of just sitting quietly near Brenan while he rests. In lieu of swinging by the hospital, Brenan asks that you donate blood. Even if the blood doesn't get to him, just being involved in this experience has made us all realize how needed blood donations are and that every little bit helps all who are stricken with cancer.

On Day 15 of chemotherapy, the doctors will perform another bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture to evaluate the progress of the treatment. We are still waiting for the results of the Mayo Clinic evaluation of the samples and we should hear more about that on Tuesday.

Here are some "what if" scenarios:

If the induction period of chemo (what he is going through now) appears to be working, they will finish this session in the hospital then he would be released for a week or two until his white blood cell count builds back up again. Then Brenan will need to begin a second round of chemotherapy treatment. This second session will take place at either Mayo Clinic in Phoenix or Scottsdale, or at Good Samaritan in Phoenix, or possibly in Tucson at a specialty clinic.

If the chemotherapy treatments are not as effective as the doctors want them to be, there is a possibility that Brenan may need a bone marrow transplant. I will be the first tested because siblings have the best chance of being a match. More to follow on that avenue later, if it develops into more than a "what if."

Brenan wants me to thank everyone who has sent cards, money, text messages, and has visited - so thank you very, very much! While I was typing this blog entry, I turned to Brenan and asked how he was feeling so I could write about it and he said faintly, with his eyes closed, "Stupendous." So there you have it. :)

Lengthy Treatment

Correction from the last post... Brenan is on his second day of chemotherapy and there are 19 days of treatment to go. He will receive 21 days of chemo, with a few breaks here and there. Previously we thought it would only be 7 days, but doctors decided on an alternative schedule for his medication and plans were changed a couple days ago. More details on his treatment are coming soon.

We'd like to thank Aunt Viv, Uncle Rich, Cindy, Jeff, JJ, and Bug for the care package. Brenan is so grateful and loved all the goodies. It really made his day and put a smile on his face! :)

He is pretty tired today from the chemotherapy - we can all see the toll the medication is taking on him. But whatever it takes to make Brenan healthy again! The nurses are taking great care of Brenan and doing their best to keep his nausea under control.

If you are interested in donating blood, please call us directly instead of Kathy at UBS because we are required to give your name to them for the donators list. So many people have already donated and we thank you! Brenan will be in great need of platelets and blood after his 21-day treatment as well.

Complicated Diagnosis

If you know anything about Brenan, you know he is not a simple man. Highly intelligent & extrememly conversational, serious & insightful, playful & goofy. Brenan is complicated.... and so is his cancer. Doctors at Arrowhead Hospital are seeing signs of a combination of cancers, including Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Both need to be treated with aggressive chemotherapy. Samples from his biopsies are being sent to Mayo Clinic for further evaluation.

Brenan will receive his first IV chemotherapy treatment later today - his first of 7 days of treatment. From this point on, although visitors are highly encouraged, we suggest limiting your visit to a 20 minute period to allow Brenan ample time to rest and adjust to the harsh affects of the chemo.

Thank you for all your support so far... we've got a long road ahead.

A Story of Survival

Boston Red Sox pitcher beats cancer, pitches no-hitter yesterday: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=4896931&page=1

Chemo and Blood

Today was a good day for Brenan. He went in this morning for the lumbar puncture. They drew some spinal fluid for testing as well as administered some chemotherapy into his spine. This is called intrathecal chemotherapy. You can read more about what doctors might be diagnosing Brenan with by clicking here.

He also received an IV of platelets today which made him much more energetic than he was the past few days. He is not in pain right now and feels good! He has a good appetite and has not lost any weight. He has been in the hospital for exactly 1 week now. We are not sure when he will receive another chemotherapy treatment. The doctor will probably tell us more tonight.

If you are wanting to help by donating blood, please call Kathy at United Blood Services at 480-344-5901. She will direct you to the nearest blood bank. You can donate platelets regardless of your blood type. It will take about 2 hours of your time. Tell Kathy and the blood bank you go to that you want to donate in Brenan's name. The platelets will either go directly to Brenan or if you are in another state, he will get "credit" for the blood donation. This is called a "replenishment" donation, meaning that if for some reason there was a shortage of blood, the more replenishment credits Brenan has the higher priority he is to receive blood.

Thanks to Cousin Cindy and Aunt Viv for sending cell phones to Mom and Dad! Now Mom and Dad can be texting/calling/picture sending fools!

Tests for Diagnosis

Brenan has still not been taken for the lumbar puncture yet. Jess got his DVD player hooked up to the TV so he is watching movies with Dad and Aunt Lavonne right now. He is feeling weaker and more tired today than yesterday.

Doctors are still evaluating tests - MRI, CT scan, bone marrow biopsy, and lymph node biopsy. He has been hospitalized for nearly 1 week. His platelet count is extremely low. He is experiencing slight pain due to his surgery in which a lymph node was taken from his groin area and a port-a-cath was placed in his upper right chest area. The port-a-cath will be used to administer the chemotherapy and blood transfusions.

The doctors and nurses are all extremely helpful and nice, and we are grateful that Brenan is being cared for so well. We are all just very anxious for a final diagnosis so that treatment can begin.

If you want to visit Brenan, here is the address & contact information:

Arrowhead Hospital
Room 3412
18701 N. 67th Avenue
Glendale, AZ 85308
United States
623-561-1000

If you want to send a card:

Brenan Eiler
7327 W. Grovers Ave
Glendale, AZ 85308

Photos of Brenan

The Eiler Family



Brenan & Elisabeth at the dunes.

Still Waiting...

I spent the past few afternoons with Brenan in the hospital and he asked me to tell everyone thank you for all the cards and well wishes. He is so appreciative of all his friends and family. He is doing great considering the circumstances, just a little tired by the end of the day. For those who plan on visiting, keep in mind that between 1:00 and 3:00 is kind of "down time" for Brenan as he is pretty tired after lunch. Otherwise, Brenan loves visitors and it's always good to see people's smiling faces, even if just for a few minutes. One can never get too many texts, voicemails, cards, or letters either, every little bit is appreciated.

Today, Aunt Lavonne made a big Sunday dinner for us and brought it to the hospital, complete with BBQ boneless pork ribs, mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon, green beans, and German chocolate cake. Yum! Lavonne is babying us all while she is here visiting.

One of his doctors stopped in today around 5:15 p.m. with no news or updates on Brenan's diagnosis. They are still working to determine if what he has is AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) or acute lymphocytic leukemia. The doctor warned Brenan that they may be taking him for a lumbar puncture, or a spinal tap, tomorrow (Monday) in order to help make the determination.

We are encouraging everyone to donate blood and platelets over the next few months. Directions on donating blood are coming soon.

Lots of love from Brenan and the whole Eiler family,
Elisabeth

Daily Updates

Sunday morning 5/18/08
Still waiting on the final diagnosis of which kind of leukemia it is. So, it is a waiting game. Meanwhile Brenan is being over fed with food made by his Aunt Lavon, Jean and others. Not to mention the candy being supplied by all of his visitors.

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Daily Updates

5/16/08
Julianne gave us a call Friday morning. The doctors completed their initial assessment of the biopsy's. The diagnosis has changed from Lymphoma to Leukemia. It appears that several types of Leukemia cause a swelling of the lymph glands similar to symptoms of Lymphoma, which may be why their initial diagnosis prior to the biopsy's was Lymphoma.

Daily Updates

5/16/08
Visited Brenan this evening. When we arrived, Julianne, Bruce and Jess were there. Along with his friend Scott ... He was in good humor and made several jokes at our expense.
One of his doctors dropped by and had a conference with the family. It appears that they will re-run all of the tests on the biopsy samples again. There are lots of different types of leukemia and they need to know the exact type to determine the correct chemo theraphy to start. Hopefully the results will be completed on Saturday.

Info about Brenan Eiler

To all of the friends and family of Brenan.
This blog is to keep everyone up to date on Brenan's daily activities. We hope to post an update everyday, so check back often. We also would like for everyone to add "comments" that you wish to be shared with Brenan, his family and friends.
Click on the "COMMENTS" just below each post to see the "comments" left by others and to leave one yourself.