Eve, the neutropenic frog.

When your tadpole has low blood counts, you don't want them to go out and catch something that will really knock them on their tail. Time to burn some steam inside.

Does this look like she's got the slappy-foot to you?



I think we might have reached some new Vincristine-related toxicity issues with the voice. It sounds like Linda Blair reading for the part of "Possessed Amphibian #2."

(Is webbed-foot a chemo side-effect?)

noo-tro-PEE-nik

The following information is hearsay, although I heard it from my husband, so it's probably all true:

1. Eve doesn't have the slappy-foot.
2. Her ANC is 200.
3. Her hemoglobin is 8.2.


What do all these things mean for us?
1. No more blogging about defunct maternal instincts.
2. Eve is neutropenic, which means she is very susceptible to infection. No more letting her eat off of the floor.
3. We will need to get Eve's blood work done on Monday. If her hemoglobin drops below 8.0, she will need a transfusion this week before chemo.

Heavy.

So...where was I during chemo, you ask? I was partying with Nat and Dan at preschool! Natalie was Mary, all decked out in a robe and cowgirl boots. Daniel ate candy. That's the Reader's Digest version.

Eve took an extremely long nap yesterday, and when she did get up, she was pretty cranky. It took her quite some time to warm up to the idea of dinner. Finally, when it was time for bed, I kissed her goodnight, and out of her mouth popped the word "yogurt!" Ok, the girl finally wants to eat something, so back downstairs we go...

She ate some yogurt. Eve, do you want any chicken nuggets? "NO! No chicken nuggets," as she emphatically pushed the nuggets away. Back upstairs for the re-brushing of the teeth.

Again, I kissed her goodnight and tried to lay her down on her pillow, when out burst, "CHICKEN NUGGET!" Hmm...ok, let's try this again.

Back downstairs to the recently-shunned chicken nuggets. She slowly ate one before pushing the plate away again. Eve, do you want anymore chicken nuggets? "NO!! Night-night!" So, back upstairs to brush her teeth once again.

Another kiss goodnight. Another attempt to lay her down. Another "CHICKEN NUGGET!!!!" Another tired mommy gives in and goes back downstairs to rinse and repeat.

You can probably guess how it ended when I tried to lay her down after trip number four downstairs. "CHICKEN NUGGET!!!!!! NUGGET!!! NUGGGGGGGGGGGGET!" Eve, are you just playing Mommy? "Yeah. I play Mommy."

Sucka!

Oh...you'll know.

One of the [many] side effects of Vincristine is neuropathy. We are asked about Eve's gait each week. Is she stumbling? No more than usual. Is she falling down more often? Well, no, not for a two-year-old. Does she look like she's getting slappy-footed? Is slappy-foot even a real medical term? How will I know if she is?? Oh, you'll know.

But the thing is, I'm not sure I will.

Maybe I was absent the day that the maternal instinct fairy sprinkled her dust over my big, pregnant belly. (Maybe the stretch mark fairy left her no room?) Whatever it is, I am missing something in the instinct department. When I was pregnant with Natalie, I went to the obstetrician twice a week during my last trimester. Twice a week, I asked my doctor how I would know when I was in labor. Twice a week, the same annoyed doctor began to reply, "Oh, you'll know."

Imagine the doc's surprise when, eight months pregnant, I showed up for a regular appointment complaining of a backache. Apparently, I did not know that I was in active labor, even though I was five centimeters dilated. Had I not had an appointment scheduled for that day, I would have been at home watching Discovery Health and eating Taco Bell, probably giving birth to Natalie on our living room couch. Oh, apparently I didn't know afterall.

And the kids...the poor kids need to really be screaming for me to think they have an ear infection. They better be feverish, too. Because I won't know they just aren't acting right. Preschoolers never act right! I might be more inclined to think the kids are working on their catcher signals than pulling on their ears out of pain.

I never knew when they were teething. We just randomly put Orajel on their gums whenever they would get too fussy. Even if there was no pain to be numbed, it would shock them just enough to bring the screaming down a few notches.

So now that I am aware of this neuropathy side effect, and am equally aware of how easy it would be for me to miss it, I am doubting myself as of late. Each week the doctors seem a wee bit surprised that her stride has been unaffected. "She walks like normal...I think...I mean I'm pretty sure...I don't know...would I notice??" I'm worried that she's got the slappy-foot, and I haven't been paying attention.

But you'd think I'd notice, right? Right?