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December 21, 2005 -- OT visit #9 Katie is 10 months OT and a 9 month survivor!!! Oncology appointment After looking her over, both Pattianne and Dr. Leahy said that whatever she has is going to get worse before it gets better, and that I should consult with her pediatrician if I suspect her ears and lungs are being effected. Boy were they right! By the afternoon, Katie had spiked a fever of 103.5, was vomiting, and was complaining of a backache and severe headache. I called Katie’s pediatrician to see what I could do for her. They were really not much help. After waiting 4 hours for them to call back, I spoke with the nurse because the doctors were not available. She went through the basic “to do’s” for fever and vomiting, and suggested ibuprofen (which Katie is not allowed to have). I explained that we are “in transition” with Katie being OT but not a year OT. She had never dealt with a child who had cancer and didn’t know how to answer my questions. Calling the oncologist on-call at CHOP wasn’t an option because again, she is OT and no longer has port. John and I spent the night, waking every couple of hours to tend to Katie. She’s still running a high fever and isn’t able to eat. If this continues, I’ll take her to the pediatrician tomorrow. During Katie’s onco appointment, Pattianne checked her balance and strength. Pattianne noted a great improvement since her last physical 3 months ago! Dr. Leahy recommends that Katie continue to swim and take ballet, gymnastics or Karate classes to help boost her balance and strength even more. We discussed seeing a dietician as many kids end up with weight problems and eating issues after going OT. Katie’s appointment with the dietician is at the end of January. I mentioned my concern about Katie’s back and hip pain. I am to keep a log as to when it occurs and the activities Katie is doing before or during when the pain starts (after this illness passes). Many kids who are cancer survivors experience chronic pain. I will call Katie’s Orthopedist (Dr. Dormans) to find out his thoughts on the pain Katie is experiencing and possible connection to her osteopenia from the leukemia and steroids, and the compression fractures she had at diagnosis. Hopefully he can shed some light on her pain and how to deal with or treat it. We went to the North Pole -- twice!! Katie’s Cookbook As the book has grown and evolved over the past 10 months, there have been many exciting additions and changes. The two biggest changes were the switch away from the traditional local community-based cookbook, and the push for childhood cancer awareness. Katie’s Cooking! a cookbook celebrating life after childhood cancer has some of the hottest celebrity chefs of today, the most requested recipes from many of the top restaurants from around the country, and the best community-shared recipes from around the world!! Plus, every time the book is opened, you will see the beautiful faces of more than 70 children from around the world who have been diagnosed with cancer. I’ll have a better idea of when the books will ship or be available for pick-up in the next few weeks. The books are available for pre-paid purchase until the end of the year at a discount. During the month of January, we will be working on setting up online purchases (keeping my fingers crossed that we can get this to work). Starting January 1st, the selling price of the book will be $24. Click here for details. Many, many thanks again for your support for this wonderful and important project!! We can't thank you enough for keeping Katie close to your hearts and in your prayers. Please continue to pray for her and for all children who battle cancer. Wishing you all happy holidays and a healthy 2006! NEXT: January 3, 2006 -- |
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