The Bennett Family

Hi all. Happy New Year!
Now that Hans is in maintenance and things are becoming more consistent, we are taking time to follow-up on and dig deeper into some of the other things that have been bothering Hans. We've been working on his bone pain recently and we got some good news from Hans's bone doctor. Hans's bone scan from December showed that he has normal bone mineral density and won't be needing pamidronate treatment as was thought. We were surprised because the doctor seemed so certain that Hans's test would show he has low bone density.

We also found out that the doctor expects Hans to need his brace for 3-6 months. By then, he expects the fracture to heal and the pain to resolve. I was thinking it might be longer, so that is a relief.

The staff at Hans's school has been really cooperative with accommodating his fracture. He sits on a therapy ball in class instead of one of those little plastic chairs. His classmates carry the ball around to library, music, and PE for him. His teacher is letting him keep a second set of books at home so he doesn't have to carry a heavy backpack. The physical therapist at school is working with the PE teacher to find some alternative exercises for Hans.

We are waiting to hear back from the pain team at Children's. We want to talk to them about pain control for Hans. He is still having back pain in the evenings and at night, and oxycodone isn't helping. One of the alternatives we are interested in is acupuncture.

Hans is also having leg pains this week. It could be from the chemotherapy.

Hans managed to have a run-in with a piano on Wednesday at his Cub Scout meeting. He got 2 stitches.

So, maybe we're not having a great week, but at least he didn't shove a crystal up his nose (like another ALL patient we know did last month).

please contact Linda Mahlum at 425-837-9497. Linda is coordinating meals and other assistance.

Please contact the Child Life department at the hospital. julie.greves@seattlechildrens.org