July 11, 2003 -- Interim Maintenance #2 (Day 6-14)

After Katie's last spinal and chemo treatment on the 24th, she was sick for a few days, which was to be expected. The toughest part for Katie was getting back into the swing of taking medicine everyday again. We are back to using the calendar with different symbols/colors for each medicine she needs to take each day. She can put stickers on each med she takes and gets rewards at the end of each week, which works well for her. I've stocked up on rewards for the next two or so months so I don't have to worry about getting out for anything.

Katie was sick with a cold over the weekend and was complaining of back pain. We took her to the clinic on Monday 6/30 (Interim Maintenance #2 - Day 6), Katie had her labs done (finger poke) and we met with Dr. Rock to discuss the results. Her ANC was 4802. Dr. Rock said her immune system had kicked in and was fighting the virus. She said she should be fine, just to check for fevers. She believed her back pain was probably related to her being a little constipated or from the cold, but to let her know if it continued. She felt there was no reason for concern. Of course, John and I are calling or running Katie to the doctor every time something is out of the ordinary. Thankfully, Dr. Rock is happy to see us at any time and fully understands our concerns.

On Tuesday, 7/8 (Interim Maintenance #2 - Day 14), Katie had her labs done (finger poke). Her ANC was 1620. She had a strange rash around her nose, mouth and on her forehead that concerned me. Dr. Rock took a look at it and said it was a side effect from the Methatrexate. It may or may not go away, and it was nothing to worry about. She also listened to her chest after I mentioned that we've all had a virus the past two weeks, now with a nasty cough. Her lungs were clear. We just need to watch for a fever or difficulty breathing to make sure it doesn't progress into pneumonia. She's doing really well otherwise!!

Katie is really back into the routine of taking her meds now. There are certain ones that don't taste too bad and others that are really yucky. With the yucky ones, she's allowed to have a cookie or a few mini M&M's to help cover the taste. The others go down with out any problems. In fact, she likes to take some of them all by herself!

Katie has been running around like crazy and is now able to make it up and down the steps without much help. Dr. Rock wants to give her to the end of August and reevaluate her progress. If she is having difficulty with anything, she'll recommend physical therapy to correct it. The way Katie's been going, I think she'll be just fine. We're working on building her strength. Swimming in her little pool has been a great help. She'll kick and splash for hours. Her appetite has returned to normal and she's back to eating a wide variety of fruits, veggies and proteins again (no more "white" food).

Katie has been fascinated with how the body works, what happens to food when we eat, why we have blood, how white blood cells fight disease, how our bodies get energy from food, and the names for all the parts inside. Whatever she learns, she likes to share with everyone. Maybe she'll be a doctor some day!!

I had my week 36 OB appointment on Monday 7/7. The baby's heart sounds good and the doctor says he/she's getting big. She said if I go into labor now, it's OK to deliver because the baby is fully cooked. Since my feet and ankles have been swelling so much, she wants me to try to lay on my left side as much as possible, keeping my feet elevated, and drink LOTS of fluids. The only shoes that fit me now are my flip-flops!

My ultrasound appointment was on Thursday 7/10. Wow, what fun!! The baby has a full head of hair and everything looks good! They are estimating the baby is eight pounds already (Katie was 7 pounds 7 ounces when she was born at 38 weeks). Considering that the baby can gain up to a pound a week, and the estimate can be off by plus or minus one and a half pounds, and my due date is a month away--I hope I won't be making it into the 'Guinness Book of World Records'! Yikes!!!

We are almost ready for the baby to come. We have just a few more things to do. My parents will be taking care of Katie while I'm in the hospital. She's looking forward to having a "sleep over" at her grandparents, and most of all, meeting her new sibling. When the baby comes, we will email everyone with the news!

NEXT: August 27, 2003 -- Interim Maintenance #2 (Day 22-56) and Maintenance #1 (Day 0)