The Proceedures

On Friday, January 31st, Michael had three different procedures. The first was to surgically install a port. The port is a small circular access point. It is placed under the skin on the upper right portion of Michael’s chest. It is connected to a tube or catheter that then runs through a vein up into Michael’s neck and down to his heart. It is through this port that chemotherapy and other medications are administered. It also allows for blood draws to be taken and fluid to be given without an IV. This procedure was the longest of the three that Michael had that day.

The second procedure was a spinal tap. The particular form of leukemia that Michael has likes to hide out in the body’s spinal fluid. To address this a sample of that fluid was taken for testing, and a small dose of chemo was administered.

The third procedure was the bone marrow biopsy. A large needle is inserted into the hip bone, and bone marrow is extracted for evaluation. Even though we already know based on the bloodwork that Michael has B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the biopsy analyzes the cancer cell down to its genetic makeup. Doctors can adjust Michael’s chemo regimen appropriately based on the specific genetics of the cancer.

All of these procedures were done at the same time, and gratefully, Michael was asleep the entire time. The spinal tap and bone marrow biopsy will be repeated at various intervals to track the cancer’s response to the chemo.

Of all of the procedures, the biopsy affected Michael the most. He was sore for several days following the procedure. It’s hard watching your child have to go through these kinds of procedures, but they were necessary for what was to come next.