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February 22, 2003 -- Consolidation (Day 28)/ Interim Maintenance #1 (Day 0) Just when I thought my stress level couldn't possible get any higher.... Katie went to her clinic appointment on Wednesday for her blood work and chemo treatment. They had trouble accessing the port. After several "sticks" they found that it had flipped over. The nurse was able to flip it back, but it apparently felt very strange to have the port manipulated and caused Katie to become extremely agitated. After the "tubbies" were in place, they were able to get a good blood draw and had no trouble administering her chemo (Vincristine). If the port continues to flip, they want to place a new one. Let's hope this was a fluke. Starting on day zero of IM and for the next 56 days, Katie will take five pills of Methotrexate or MTX (oral version of her spinals which she will take every Wednesday at bedtime), two pills of Dexemethesone or DEX (a steroid which she will take for two times a day for five days) and one pill of 6MP (which she takes every night a bedtime) along with her pneumonia and fungal prophylaxis called Sulfatrim (which she takes two times a day on Thursday and Friday) along with monthly spinal treatments of MTX. For an adult or older child, taking these on schedule would be manageable. But, for a three-year old, it's a whole other ball game. Wednesday evening, as we were trying to get her to take the 6MP, DEX and MTX for nearly an hour, she fell asleep. She got nothing in. This threw off the schedule by a day. Thursday morning, I had my 16 week prenatal checkup and took my mom and Katie with me. I was telling Katie about what the doctor was going to do to mommy and that she would be able to hear her baby brother or sister's heartbeat. The appointment was early, so I hadn't had time to get her meds in before we left. I thought I would just take care of everything when we got home. The doctor wasn't able to find a fetal heart beat and scheduled me for an ultrasound early that evening to see what the problem was. I was so afraid we were going through what we went through in September of 2001 (we had a loss at 16 weeks). Katie and I went home and I told my mom to meet us back at the doctor's office later. I called John as soon as we got in and he left work right away to come home and take care of Katie. A few hours later, we headed back to the doctor's office for the ultrasound. The technician found a heartbeat. After doing some measurements, she determined that the baby was smaller than 16.5 weeks (about 15.5 weeks in size) and found the placenta was facing my abdomen which both contributed to not being able to hear the heartbeat. John and I were relieved, to say the least, and Katie got to see future sibling moving around. Since John and I opted to not have any genetic testing done, she recommended my next scan (in five weeks) be a level two ultrasound at the high risk center at Holy Redeemer Hospital (which is where I'll deliver). The next ultrasound will be more detailed and would be easier to see if there are any problems. Katie fell asleep on the way home, so once again we were thrown off with her medicines. After consulting with Katie's doctor, we worked out a schedule to play catch-up with her meds without doubling up. We're getting there, but she fights us the whole way. On average, it takes us 30 to 50 minutes of Katie screaming, crying, kicking and spitting while we plead with her to get just one of the medicines in her. The days when she has a lot to get in are absolute nightmares for us all. I discussed the blood donations with Katie's doctor. Katie's doctor said that there is always a blood shortage when the weather is bad and that the Red Cross would appreciate donations at anytime. It takes five days to process the blood and it only lasts 72 hours after processing. She felt that it would be very difficult to determine when Katie would need the transfusions. It all depends on how she processes the medicines and how they are effecting her counts. Katie gets a complete blood count (CBC) every time she sees the doctor. If her red blood cells or platelets are low, they will give her a transfusion right away. I still have to try to reduce my stress and take it easy which seems impossible at times. Taking things one day at a time and a lot of prayer helps us get through each day. We are so thankful for all the help we've been getting with the housework and meals, and the spiritual and emotional support from everyone. |
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