The medical staff call it “I ran to the can”, but Eli calls Irinotecan “bee sting” meds (see previous post). He was supposed to take his first dose on Monday, but Eli negotiated to start on Tuesday. I had to beg and bribe him to get him to agree to take the meds orally instead of intravenously.

Fun fact: oral Irinotecan is the exact same medication that is administered through an I.V.

Oral Irinotecan can be administered at home and has mild side effects. When administered intravenously, it has to be done in the clinic and, from what other parents have said, the side effects are very unpleasant.

By the time Tuesday evening came along, Eli couldn’t make himself take the meds orally. After another call to the doctor, it was decided that he could start Irinotecan on Wednesday after an NG tube was put in.

Now, not only can I administer his meds through the NG tube, but I can also give him the turmeric supplement through the tube. A few studies have shown that turmeric makes tumor cells more sensitive to radiation. In the future, we’ll just start with the NG tube for Irinotecan week.

P.S. We successfully survived influenza week (Adam and I didn’t get sick-yay!).