Chemo Monday (Week 4)

We headed back to Brenners this morning and I can honestly say it felt like forever since we'd been there. After going everyday, a week really is forever. She didn't give me too much resistance about going this morning. She knew when I broke out the emla and the press n seal wrap what was happening. Here's what her port looks like now that it's healed completely. It is a titanium disk implanted in her chest with a soft side on the front. It has lines that run from it and into her major arteries. The port access is put through the skin and hooks into the soft front of the port. She cannot feel it at all, pretty amazing. It is used for all her labs, meds, and chemo,
We put the emla cream on before we go to numb the skin. The Glad wrap works like a charm and comes off so easily. Here she is ready to leave for the hospital. She told me she didn't want to go when I put her in her car seat, but that was the last she said. Then we turned on Little Einsteins and all was well again. She was excited about seeing nurse Karen again and playing at the clinic. The more we go the more she feels at home. Today she was talking to everyone and singing in the waiting room.

We got to clinic around 10am. Check in now involves swine flu screening before you can start. You'll be happy to know we don't have it :) and we'll be checked for it every week now. They did her vitals and everything looks good. Her weight is holding steady and no fever or other changes. When they called her back they gave her the vincristine (chemo) and zofran and drew her labs. Her blood has to be drawn, hand carried to the lab, and we wait on the counts before starting it. This was the first sign that we have moved up to the bigger guns. While we were waiting they called with her urine cultures from the peds office. We're happy to report its a traditional e.coli infection and responds to the antibiotic she is on- good news. So they'll check in two weeks and hopefully all will be clear and our UTI days will be behind us for good.
While we waited on the blood counts, Diane sat down with us to discuss her progress, schedule, and side effects. She is the nurse practitioner who runs the chemo clinic. She's the resident 'chemo guru' and knows all the intricasies of every child's case. It was great to talk to her and get her insight. She was happy with Julia's progress so far and her ability to handle everything so far. She said her reasoning for going into peds oncology instead of adults because kids are much better patients. They face every day as an opportunity to feel good and handle it all with such grace. That's Julia.

Diane discussed each of the 3 chemo drugs at length. Julia is at the point now where we will likely see the cumulative effects of the meds. Fortunately she said it is usually very predictable- 24 hours of nausea and vomiting, 2 days of constipation, then 2 days of joint pain. In most kids it follows the same cycle each time. She said we will also start to likely notice a distinct limp/gait. Its one of the first things you notice in the oncology clinic. All the kids have this distinct walk, it's a result of the medication. The doxirubicin usually takes 7-10 days to affect their blood counts and raise their infection risk, so we'll wait and see on that one. We also talked about her ongoing stomach pain. Diane believes its from the scar tissue of her hernia repair. Scar tissue doesn't stretch well, so she will likely have discomfort in certain areas for a long time. It's not the kind of thing easily fixed because going back in would create more scar tissue. At least we have an answer for now. She did a thorough physical exam on her abdomen and everything else seems good.

Her blood counts came back great- no radiation drops- huge praise!! Then they brought in the doxirubicin. It is the color of hawaiian punch and actually turns their tears, saliva, and urine red. Just another reminder that it is everywhere in her body. I keep telling myself that this is what we want- to find any anaplasia cells and destroy them. It's still hard to accept though. This is also the drug that can cause potential heart damage. Unfortunately it does not occur until 7-8 years later, so please pray that her heart is protected during these treatments. This chemo drug is actually done with an IV pump and has to be infused over an hour, so we got to hang out for a while. Karen is so wonderful with her. All the nurses in there are and so attentive and positive. I thank God for them daily.
I saw Mason's mom, Jessica, briefly before Julia's treatment started. A friend had brought her 1yr old to the playroom so she could see him. Mason is still admitted- day 12 now. His counts are still too low for him to go home. His chemo is on hold until his body rebounds and is strong enough again, but his daily radiation continues. Please keep them in your prayers, not much has changed...

We were home in time for nap and Julia is feeling great so far. We took advantage of the cloudy skies and went outside after dinner. She was riding her bike, playing tennis, and racing her brother.
Here she is declaring herself the winner...It's so sweet to see them playing together. Now they've had their bath and are playing a combination of marines/school/and babies. It's so funny having a boy and a girl because they bring so many ideas to the table. They are carrying rifles (cardboard tubes), wearing their backpacks, and carrying their baby dolls. Carter just announced there are no naps in war and the babies can't eat and Julia told him their popcorn would be ready in 4 minutes. Too funny!

Thank you all for your prayers today, we feel it. It is such a gift to know that others are interceding when you are having to live it. And thank you to all our angels who cleaned our house, cooked us dinner, and mowed our lawn today. We couldn't do this without our family in Christ. A million thank yous!! We love you guys!!

We've added one of our friends to our blog list. Their little guy Matheson was diagnosed with AML at 6months- extremely rare- and is in the midst of chemo at Duke. Also say a prayer for our friend David- a fellow 'one-kidney' friend. He fought testicular cancer several years ago and won, but lost a kidney in the process. He now has an unrelated renal tumor and is being treated at Duke. He is receiving treatments, but the tumor cannot be removed in his situation. They would cherish your prayers as they undergo tests this month. Thank you to all you prayer warriors out there!!