Jinx

Well, we did not reach our goal! Maddy continued to not feel well and started to have a lot of pain and discomfort during the night, but she was not running a fever. We finally broke down and called the doctor when Maddy could not even sit up or sleep and at 3:30 AM, Maddy and Russ were headed back to the hospital. I got Julia taken care of and then headed to the hospital later in the morning. Maddy's symptoms are pointing to some kind of infection. They have Maddy on three different antibiotics and morphine for the pain. She had a CT Scan this morning and they are watching for any signs of the infection. Unfortunately, because she has no immune system, those signs don't always show up until the white blood count starts to recover. Maddy is feeling better and her pain is under control. We are now hoping to get things figured out, so we can come home soon!

Down and Out

It seemed like this week was VERY long. It started out pretty good- Maddy felt well and was able to Skype with her class and get a few other things accomplished. We knew her counts would be dropping, so we tried to pack in as much as possible early in the week. By Thursday, she had bloodwork and all her counts were way down. Russ and Maddy took a trip to the hospital for transfusions Thursday evening and didn't get home until 1:00 AM. Maddy felt pretty miserable all day today. She was tired and had lots of aches and pains. She doesn't have much energy at all. Her immune system is wiped out, so we have to watch for infections. Our goal is to stay out of the hospital this weekend!

We're Home!

Maddy had her last treatment this morning and had to get fluids for eight hours afterwards.  The doctor told us we would be able to leave the hospital at 8 PM.  Maddy had her shoes on waiting for the nurse to come in to do vitals and unhook her IV.  She was about to do it all herself when the nurse finally came in around 8:15.   As soon as he was done, we took off before they changed their minds!  : )

I hope all mothers out there have a wonderful Mother's Day!  (I know I will now...)

Update- Day 4

Maddy continues to do well. She had a transfusion on Thursday which has given her a little more energy. Her appetite for hospital food isn't the greatest, but she did eat the Kentucky Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw she requested for dinner tonight.

She has 4 treatments down and one more to go tomorrow. Our goal is to be home by Saturday night!

Update- Day 2

Maddy is doing well.  She had her spinal yesterday and received her first two chemo treatments.  This chemo can affect the kidneys, so they are monitoring this.   She will continue getting the two chemo treatments each day for a total of five days.  

Last night, Maddy was in a good mood.  We went for a walk and searched out all the little babies in the PICU.  We also scoped out some more rooms.  We found the room we want next time-  it is big enough for two beds and the big reclining chair that we found on a previous visit! :  )   We also convinced the nurses to swap out our TV remote/call button with one that actually has numbered buttons and can go up and down channels.  It was a very productive walk!  : )

Today, Maddy was very tired.  She had to be woken up throughout the night and "tiredness" is one of the side effects of the chemo, but she is as ornery as ever.

Induction 3- Day 1

Maddy had bloodwork today and her counts have "recovered" enough to start the next phase of treatment tomorrow.  She and her Dad will be heading to St. V's in the morning.  This visit will hopefully last for only five days and then Maddy should then be able to come home if there are no other complications.  Unfortunately, we will then have to start up the daily shots again until her white blood cells recover.  On day 22 of this phase, she will return for further treatment and then she will have a recovery period again.  The next step will then depend on what path we take for her extended treatment- something Russ and I are still struggling with.

First Communion

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words......