Thursday, March 31, 2011
Spring Break (Day #8)
Today was a GOOD day...
Maddy was finally able to open her eyes today and keep them open without pain. They are still watering, but we can handle that. An eye doctor is going to come tomorrow just to check her out, but hopefully she is on the road to recovery.
Maddy was due for a dressing change so she took a nice long shower today. (A reminder that we often take the little things in life for granted until they are taken away.)
Maddy's blood pressure has been holding steady so they have decided to back off of the medication to see how she does on her own.
Dad and Julia, armed with hand sanitizer and masks, came to visit this evening. It was so good to see Maddy and Julia together. They were huddled around the iPad playing games together. (Thanks to everyone who made this possible!)
Thanks to everyone for continued thoughts and prayers! They truly do help us get through each day.
P.S.- Maddy wanted me to let Mrs. Hurst know that Dad did share the cookies. Also, she wanted to let Megan know that the monkey has slept with her every night since we got to the hospital.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Spring Break (Day #7)
She continues to worry about her shot every day. She pointed out today that the doctors lied to her about it being a "small" shot that would't hurt. She also noticed that her white blood cell count has not gone up at all yet, so she has concluded that the shots aren't working. The doctor tried to explain the process to her, but she later told me she didn't listen to him! :)
We are hoping each day continues to get a little better for Maddy. Now if she could just keep her eyes open for more than a minute without watering and pain. That's the goal for tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Spring Break (Day #6)
Maddy's eyes are still bothering her. She was up all night with pain. The doctors still think it is a side affect of the chemo. We are continuing with eye drops. Maddy layed around all day with her eyes closed again. It makes trips to the bathroom very interesting- IV pole, tubes, and "no eyes"!
Still looking for the pool...
Monday, March 28, 2011
Spring Break (Day #5)
With the help of the blood pressure medicine, Maddy's blood pressure came down. She had a good night of sleep. She woke up and had her ultra-sound of her kidneys. (I didn't realize how nervous I was until I was in the room with her watching the screen as the technician did the test. I instantly got sick to my stomach just thinking about the idea that there could be something wrong with Maddy's kidneys). Fortunately, we did not have to wait long to find out that her kidneys are functioning properly. They are attributing her high blood pressure to the variety of other "stuff" going on with her and they feel that it will eventually correct itself. Until then, they will control it with medication.
Another up- My friends Deb and Cindy rescued me for a couple of hours and took me to lunch. It was good to get out of the hospital for a little while. Thanks Deb and Cindy! I did have strict instructions from Maddy to come back though. Her dad took a little offense to this... : )
The sun was also shining today. It just makes me feel better to have the sun out even if it is still cold.
Now for the downs:
Maddy woke up saying her eyes hurt when she tried to open them. As a result, Maddy basically kept her eyes closed ALL day- most of the time sleeping with her blankets pulled up over her head. Every once in awhile, she would wake up and scream that her eyes hurt and we would put a wet wash cloth over them. We haven't figured out what is going on. If it is not better tomorrow, I will be a little more persistent to figure it out.
Maddy also got her daily shot and again was not happy about it. She worried all morning until she got the shot and then worried all day about getting another one tomorrow! (They did use a much smaller needle today though, but Maddy still said it hurt.)
Julia has a cold so can't come visit her sister. I think they miss each other. I will remind them of how much they really do love each other the next time they start fighting! : )
That's about it for today. Maddy just woke up screaming for the washcloth for her eyes...
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Spring Break (Day #4)
We'll see what tomorrow will bring...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Spring Break (Day #3)
Maddy finished up her last dose of chemo early in the morning. She woke up with a belly ache and was worrying about the shot she was going to have to have. After all the worrying- a little numbing cream, a little ice, and a very loud scream later and it was done. Maddy was brave as usual. We just wish she didn't have so much to worry about. It is so hard not knowing what to say to her or how to make her feel better. As parents, we feel so helpless!
Maddy felt a little better after her shot was over. We were able to do some crafts and her mean mom made her do some math homework. She then started to get tired, so she got snuggled in bed. I put the call button by her so I could step out to get a drink from the lounge down the hall. One minute later, when I got back to the room, Maddy was laying in bed covered in puke. She just looked at me and said, "I couldn't get to the call button." After a little chaos, the nurse cleaned up the bed while I cleaned up Maddy. The only good thing about the whole ordeal was that Maddy got to take a nice warm shower since we were going to have to change her dressing anyway. (We then bagged up her "chunky" clothes and blankets for Dad to take care of when he got to the hospital : )
The doctor then stopped in to see Maddy right after the puking episode. She told us that Maddy's platelets were so low that she needed a platelet transfusion. She then reminded us that she would need to stay in the hospital until her counts rebounded- about 14 days! What happened to 10 days?????? The number keeps going up!
The rest of the day was a little better. Maddy was finally able to take a nap. Dad and Julia made it to the hospital and did a load of clothes and blankets. Maddy woke up and played a little with her sister and ate a little supper. Maddy then started to get a little anxious and uncomfortable, so the nurse gave her a little "happy juice" and she is now sleeping peacefully.
P.S.- I forgot to tell you the topper of the day. Our friends made us a pie. Russ brought it to the hospital for us to eat and put it in the refrigerator in the Family Lounge along with some of our pop and other food labeled with our name and room number. A couple of hours later, I went to get the pie to have it with supper and it was gone along with our pop! Someone took our pie! : ( No pie for us!!!! A perfect ending to a perfect day!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Spring Break (Day #2)
P.S. We didn't find the pool today, but we will keep looking!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spring Break at St. V's (Day #1)
That's it for today. We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow- maybe lay out by the pool!
Monday, March 21, 2011
She's Home
Thanks for all the prayers!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday Update from St. Vincent's
The sun shining through the window this morning reminds us though that there are better days to come.
Monday, March 14, 2011
St. Baldrick Event
Our family was able to spend some time at the event. Russ got his head shaved and as we were getting ready to leave, Julia said she wanted to do it. Of course, Mom wasn't so sure but she was determined. Julia wanted to shave her head last year and didn't, so Mom gave in. Julia grinned from ear to ear as they cut off her pony tails to donate. She still has not stopped smiling. Not only did she want to do this for her sister, but she is pretty excited that she can now sleep in longer in the morning! : )
Our hope is that one day we won't need events like this because a cure for childhood cancer will be found!
Friday, March 11, 2011
University of Michigan Visit
On a more positive note, below are links to the Buckeye and Crescent News articles and pictures from the assembly at the high school on Wednesday. Enjoy!
http://www.archboldbuckeye.com/news/2011-03-09/Front_Page/AHS_BOYS_BASKETBALL_PLAYERS_GET_THEIR_HAIR_SHAVED.html
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Power of Faith, Love, and Hope
It is hard to put into words how truly thankful our family is to be a part of the Archbold school district and community. While we have been through many trials this past 16 months, we have found ourselves continuously saying how lucky we are- lucky to be surrounded by such caring, generous people, lucky that any help we need is always just around the corner, and lucky to have a community praying for us. The events over the last few days have renewed our faith and once again, we find ourselves saying how lucky we are!
Today was a perfect example of what cancer CANNOT do:
Cancer is so limited... It cannot cripple Love. It cannot shatter Hope. It cannot corrode Faith. It cannot destroy Peace. It cannot kill Friendship. It cannot suppress Memories. It cannot silence Courage. It cannot invade the Soul. It cannot steal Eternal Life. It cannot conquer the Spirit!
From the Bottom of Our Hearts We Thank You!!!
The Lamberts