Our little girl is SO blessed and one of the biggest blessings in her life is all the people surrounding her with love. Thank you all for all the prayers at the beginning of the week on her behalf!
After we got the number results on Tuesday morning, I got the ball rolling for the rest of the week. My parents were already planning to come for a visit and it worked out great to have them watch the two littler ones during Madi's long week of chemo treatments.
Wednesday was the big day with an LP, intrathecal chemo (methotrexate), a second chemo push of AraC (Cytarabin), and an hour IV drip of Cytoxan. A lot of medicine to go into that little body. She handled everything really well, though.
I'll give you a run down of how the time goes on a day like this. Typically, we head in to the Pratt Center to get her port accessed. The nurses at Test and Treatment could do this, but we have had issues with blood return (being able to draw blood for testing) due to the needles used there. Plus, she is more comfortable having it done at the Cancer Center. (A no brainer for a parent, if you ask me.) Just before we leave, she has to be loaded up with extra stuff and snacks for after the procedure - which is promptly handed to Mom to carry.
We then head over to the Test and Treatment area at Mercy Children's hospital. We haven't been there in a month, but everyone recognizes us when we walk in and make Madi feel very welcome. They're a very caring group of people. It was amazing the difference the nurses saw in her. Everyone who stopped by the room to say 'hi' commented on how good she looked and how happy she was. I was glad they finally got to see the 'real', very talkative Madi.
Skip-Bo Jr. helped us pass some of the time, plus it made her happy to beat me.
After the LP and intrathecal Methotrexate, vitals are taken and the AraC is given in the room. The nurses try to give, or at least get started, on all the extra meds before she wakes up from the anesthesia. This helps get us out a little quicker and eliminates her becoming nervous about what might still need to be given. After she wakes, she gets busy eating anything and everything she can get her hands on since she has to fast before procedures.
Then we just wait and until everything is done and we can leave. She was gifted a new friend before she left the Cancer Center, so Minnie got to hang out with us all morning.
While Madi was back getting her LP and chemo, there was a box delivered to the room I was waiting in. To make sure her kidneys weren't overwhelmed and continued to function well, she had to be hooked up to fluids until her appointment the next day. The backpack holds the pump and fluids so she can stay mobile. The box was full flushes, heparin block and anti-nausea medicine to be administered through the line left in her port. How truly intimidating for a non-medically trained person!! The home nurse was kind enough to give me a crash course and a phone number to call for help before she left us.
That day finished up with a trip to church services that night and Madi and I sleeping on the living room couches to make night time trips to the bathroom a little easier on both of us.
Numbers for the day:
WBC - 7.6
Hgb - 9.5
Plts - 516
ANC - 4330
Thursday, Friday and Saturday were pretty uneventful. She had an appointment each day to get a chemo push of AraC. She also started on 6-TG for a total of 14 days which will end on the 12th. Daddy was able to take her in on Saturday after attending his CrossFit class. It's always nice for the two of them to connect for a little bit and spend some time alone. It also allows Madi to see her daddy as a caretaker instead of thinking only Mommy can do all of this.
Next week is pretty much the same with four consecutive days of treatment but no LP. She has been doing such a good job. We are hoping for at least a few days at school!
1 comment:
It's amazingly complicated, isn't it? It's a wonder you can keep it all straight. Waaaaay more than you ever wanted to know about chemo, I'm sure. I can't believe all the different meds. But I know geniuses have figured all this out and aren't we lucky to live in a country where it is readily available? Your sweet girl looks so matter of fact about it all. Love you guys! We are still praying!
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