...she does art projects using Eve's hair. iViva la Doe Wipe!Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Black Friday Special: Vincristine, Half-Off!
Yesterday, I cooked for the first time in five weeks. My body has been out of kitchen shape- standing in there all day long fixing Thanksgiving dinner really did a number on my shins! Lesson learned: don't cook barefoot for hours on end in a house that is on a slab.
Eve has been noticeably tired the past few days. She also hasn't been very interested in eating (except for the pumpkin pie). But we did have something very important to be thankful for- Eve dirtied up some diapers after a few days of holding out on us! Exclamation point!
On clinic mornings, I'm usually up before a lot of my friends. Today was an exception- crazy people everywhere were up hours before dawn to go bargain shopping! Normally, I would happily be a part of this crowd, but this year I had many people shopping in my honor while we left for chemo. The roads were clear on the way out to Durham and we arrived in record time, even after leaving late. Black Friday rocks the house already.
We checked in and were immediately taken back. We met a new nurse today who marveled at Eve's awesomeness. This girl can handle a port access like nobody's business! The labs came back quickly, probably since there was NO ONE at the clinic. Eve's blood work looks good- her ANC is 2750. Her counts should start to drop this week.
Eve is still a bit hoarse and the coughing has returned when she drinks, but the doctors decide it is better to press on with treatment than to skip another dose. She received half a dose of Vincristine. The pharmacy took no time at all to make this, on account of us being the only people in the triangle area not shopping.
This was the quickest chemo ever. We were done at 10:47 a.m. Just enough time to get in some last minute doorbusters! I bet we could have gotten to the front of the lines if we had walked in with Eve in a mask.
5 down, 1 to go!
Eve has been noticeably tired the past few days. She also hasn't been very interested in eating (except for the pumpkin pie). But we did have something very important to be thankful for- Eve dirtied up some diapers after a few days of holding out on us! Exclamation point!
On clinic mornings, I'm usually up before a lot of my friends. Today was an exception- crazy people everywhere were up hours before dawn to go bargain shopping! Normally, I would happily be a part of this crowd, but this year I had many people shopping in my honor while we left for chemo. The roads were clear on the way out to Durham and we arrived in record time, even after leaving late. Black Friday rocks the house already.
We checked in and were immediately taken back. We met a new nurse today who marveled at Eve's awesomeness. This girl can handle a port access like nobody's business! The labs came back quickly, probably since there was NO ONE at the clinic. Eve's blood work looks good- her ANC is 2750. Her counts should start to drop this week.
Eve is still a bit hoarse and the coughing has returned when she drinks, but the doctors decide it is better to press on with treatment than to skip another dose. She received half a dose of Vincristine. The pharmacy took no time at all to make this, on account of us being the only people in the triangle area not shopping.
This was the quickest chemo ever. We were done at 10:47 a.m. Just enough time to get in some last minute doorbusters! I bet we could have gotten to the front of the lines if we had walked in with Eve in a mask.
5 down, 1 to go!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Don't fly to Mexico for apricot pits.
You know it's going to be a good day when the oncologist leaves you a message saying she has good news. After reading the radiologist's report from Friday's ultrasound, the largest tumor appears to have shrunk by fifty percent. Eve's going all Chuck Norris on these bad boys!
Eve does not sleep; she waits.
Eve doesn't read books; she stares them down until she gets the information she needs.
When Eve does a push-up, she isn't lifting herself up, she's pushing the Earth down.
The ultrasound was done after just three weeks of chemo. (Her fourth treatment was immediately following the ultrasound.) One doctor was so confident in these drugs that she begged us not to fly to Mexico for apricot pits. Because I guess we looked like the type that was going to reject modern medicine, hop a plane to Tijuana, and hope for the best.
Eve doesn't seem as hoarse as she did over the weekend and she's not having major coughing fits after she drinks. Hopefully she will be ready for her half-dose of Vincristine on Friday. Now the question is, can I get up and get all my Christmas shopping done that morning before we have to leave for the clinic at 8:00? Yeah...I feel an Amazon Christmas coming on.
My morning only got better as I partied hardy with Nat and Dan at preschool. (Or did I party hearty? This is one thing I'll probably never learn the answer to, much like how to pronounce nonpareils.) I arrived at Natalie's Thanksgiving party first and watched her proudly give all of her classmates the squirts. Oh, and the restraint she showed by resisting those chicken nuggets in front of her until they said their blessing! She wisely passed up the carrots, as she needed to save room for mandatory brownies and cookies. "This is a feast!" she declared. Her friend added, "This is the best Thanksgiving feast ever!"
Now I have a back-up menu in case I am too tired to do the turkey thing on Thursday.
Nat gave me permission to leave her party for "four minutes, not five" to visit Daniel's room. He was quietly eating a ham and cheese sandwich. And black olives. And green olives. What? Is this my kid? According to his teachers, he's the best eater in his class. WHAT? He always asks for seconds. WHAT WHAT? DANIEL GRIFFITH?? Can this morning be any more eventful?
Now here comes the part of the post where we do the mandatory "I am thankful for..." stuff. I mean, there's a lot that's going on right now, but it helps show us how lucky we are in so many ways. Here is a short list:
I am thankful for...
...how unaffected Eve's spirit seems to be.
...how well she is responding to treatment.
...how cooperative she is.
...our family, friends, and neighbors, and their love and support.
...Nat and Dan's turkey-hand artwork.
Dan also had a list he dictated to his preschool teacher. He is thankful for the following things, in this order:
1. Firefighters
2. Cookies
3. My blankie
4. Toys
5. Sam, the one with the yellow shirt.
I will be thankful next year if I can edge out the yellow Wiggle in the top five.
Eve does not sleep; she waits.
Eve doesn't read books; she stares them down until she gets the information she needs.
When Eve does a push-up, she isn't lifting herself up, she's pushing the Earth down.
The ultrasound was done after just three weeks of chemo. (Her fourth treatment was immediately following the ultrasound.) One doctor was so confident in these drugs that she begged us not to fly to Mexico for apricot pits. Because I guess we looked like the type that was going to reject modern medicine, hop a plane to Tijuana, and hope for the best.
Eve doesn't seem as hoarse as she did over the weekend and she's not having major coughing fits after she drinks. Hopefully she will be ready for her half-dose of Vincristine on Friday. Now the question is, can I get up and get all my Christmas shopping done that morning before we have to leave for the clinic at 8:00? Yeah...I feel an Amazon Christmas coming on.
My morning only got better as I partied hardy with Nat and Dan at preschool. (Or did I party hearty? This is one thing I'll probably never learn the answer to, much like how to pronounce nonpareils.) I arrived at Natalie's Thanksgiving party first and watched her proudly give all of her classmates the squirts. Oh, and the restraint she showed by resisting those chicken nuggets in front of her until they said their blessing! She wisely passed up the carrots, as she needed to save room for mandatory brownies and cookies. "This is a feast!" she declared. Her friend added, "This is the best Thanksgiving feast ever!"
Now I have a back-up menu in case I am too tired to do the turkey thing on Thursday.
Nat gave me permission to leave her party for "four minutes, not five" to visit Daniel's room. He was quietly eating a ham and cheese sandwich. And black olives. And green olives. What? Is this my kid? According to his teachers, he's the best eater in his class. WHAT? He always asks for seconds. WHAT WHAT? DANIEL GRIFFITH?? Can this morning be any more eventful?
Now here comes the part of the post where we do the mandatory "I am thankful for..." stuff. I mean, there's a lot that's going on right now, but it helps show us how lucky we are in so many ways. Here is a short list:
I am thankful for...
...how unaffected Eve's spirit seems to be.
...how well she is responding to treatment.
...how cooperative she is.
...our family, friends, and neighbors, and their love and support.
...Nat and Dan's turkey-hand artwork.
Dan also had a list he dictated to his preschool teacher. He is thankful for the following things, in this order:
1. Firefighters
2. Cookies
3. My blankie
4. Toys
5. Sam, the one with the yellow shirt.
I will be thankful next year if I can edge out the yellow Wiggle in the top five.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
ANC, LFT, and DOG
Yesterday was the kind of day that just doesn't know when to call it quits. Much like a guest at a party who is still downstairs drinking when the hosts have long since gone to bed.
(Don't be that guy.)
We left the house at 7:30 for our 8:30 ultrasound appointment. The oncologists wanted to see how the tumors are shrinking. I agreed to let Eve out of the stroller for the first time to play in the waiting area, and as a girl the same size came over to play next to her, all of a sudden it struck me how sad it is that she hasn't played with anyone besides her siblings in a month. The only kids she sees nowadays look a lot like her- balding, faces hidden behind masks.
(I can now understand why people go ahead and shave their heads once they start losing their hair. You have two choices: cut it all off, or find it in your food. I could have sworn I had a bug up my nose the other day, only to find one of Eve's hairs had made its way up there. And starting the day off hacking up a hairball will NOT land you on People's Sexiest list of 2009.)
We were taken back for our ultrasound, and once again, Eve was excellent. Her cooperation really amazes me and everyone who sees her at Duke. Can you picture your two-year-old being patient for not one, not two, but a two and a half hour ultrasound experience? The poor sonographer kept leaving to show the radiologist the images, and he kept asking for more. It felt a little like the man behind the curtain in the Emerald City.
It takes a few days for radiology to write up a full report, so we won't know anything until next week. But, for what it's worth, Eve's oncologist said he could barely feel the tumor and could now feel her liver, which is what her pediatrician was trying to feel when he came upon the mass.
Eve didn't even flinch when the nurse accessed her port. She just says "okay" to anything anyone dressed in scrubs or a lab coat asks her. Whatev!
Her ANC was 1330, up from 891 on Tuesday. The hospital staff speaks in abbreviations and acronyms whenever possible. Before Eve's very first chemo, I heard the doctor say, "I want a repeat LFT and ANC before chemo and then we can do the DOG."
Umm, doc, what's an ANC?
"Oh, that's the absolute neutrophil count."
Ok, then what's an LFT?
"That is a liver function test."
Then, what is a DOG?
Silence.
After deciding my second and third heads were a figment of her imagination, "You know, like ruff ruff?"
Yeah, there was an actual dog who was in the hospital to walk around and cheer up kids. I guess they didn't want to say the word in front of me in case I got too excited.
Eve's energy level has been good and she even gained a little weight since her visit last week. However, she has been hoarse since Monday. Vincristine can cause paralysis of the vocal chords and can slow down your body's reflexes. This explains why Eve has also been choking on her drinks- her airway is slow to close, so liquids really are going down the wrong way. The doctors decided to skip the Vincristine this week and pick it up at a half-dose next week, provided her hoarseness is gone. Better to skip it than to shower her lungs with apple juice.
Yesterday she received Dactinomycin and Doxorubicin. These are the ones that will drop Eve's blood counts again in a week or so. They also cause nausea, so we are pumping her full of Zofran to make it through the weekend without getting sick. She woke up this morning looking a little nauseated, but by mid-morning had requested and eaten a hot dog, pot roast and carrots, and a granola bar. We are being strict with the Zofran, because at least two of those foods you do not want to see or smell making an encore.
4 down, 2 to go!
(Don't be that guy.)
We left the house at 7:30 for our 8:30 ultrasound appointment. The oncologists wanted to see how the tumors are shrinking. I agreed to let Eve out of the stroller for the first time to play in the waiting area, and as a girl the same size came over to play next to her, all of a sudden it struck me how sad it is that she hasn't played with anyone besides her siblings in a month. The only kids she sees nowadays look a lot like her- balding, faces hidden behind masks.
(I can now understand why people go ahead and shave their heads once they start losing their hair. You have two choices: cut it all off, or find it in your food. I could have sworn I had a bug up my nose the other day, only to find one of Eve's hairs had made its way up there. And starting the day off hacking up a hairball will NOT land you on People's Sexiest list of 2009.)
We were taken back for our ultrasound, and once again, Eve was excellent. Her cooperation really amazes me and everyone who sees her at Duke. Can you picture your two-year-old being patient for not one, not two, but a two and a half hour ultrasound experience? The poor sonographer kept leaving to show the radiologist the images, and he kept asking for more. It felt a little like the man behind the curtain in the Emerald City.
It takes a few days for radiology to write up a full report, so we won't know anything until next week. But, for what it's worth, Eve's oncologist said he could barely feel the tumor and could now feel her liver, which is what her pediatrician was trying to feel when he came upon the mass.
Eve didn't even flinch when the nurse accessed her port. She just says "okay" to anything anyone dressed in scrubs or a lab coat asks her. Whatev!
Her ANC was 1330, up from 891 on Tuesday. The hospital staff speaks in abbreviations and acronyms whenever possible. Before Eve's very first chemo, I heard the doctor say, "I want a repeat LFT and ANC before chemo and then we can do the DOG."
Umm, doc, what's an ANC?
"Oh, that's the absolute neutrophil count."
Ok, then what's an LFT?
"That is a liver function test."
Then, what is a DOG?
Silence.
After deciding my second and third heads were a figment of her imagination, "You know, like ruff ruff?"
Yeah, there was an actual dog who was in the hospital to walk around and cheer up kids. I guess they didn't want to say the word in front of me in case I got too excited.
Eve's energy level has been good and she even gained a little weight since her visit last week. However, she has been hoarse since Monday. Vincristine can cause paralysis of the vocal chords and can slow down your body's reflexes. This explains why Eve has also been choking on her drinks- her airway is slow to close, so liquids really are going down the wrong way. The doctors decided to skip the Vincristine this week and pick it up at a half-dose next week, provided her hoarseness is gone. Better to skip it than to shower her lungs with apple juice.
Yesterday she received Dactinomycin and Doxorubicin. These are the ones that will drop Eve's blood counts again in a week or so. They also cause nausea, so we are pumping her full of Zofran to make it through the weekend without getting sick. She woke up this morning looking a little nauseated, but by mid-morning had requested and eaten a hot dog, pot roast and carrots, and a granola bar. We are being strict with the Zofran, because at least two of those foods you do not want to see or smell making an encore.
4 down, 2 to go!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The squirts.
If you want to see people move out of your way, put a mask on your kid. They will leave you plenty of personal space, trust me.
We have to put a mask on Eve anytime she goes into the pediatrician's office or the clinic. Every Tuesday, she gets her blood work done at pediatrician's office. On Friday, her ANC was 500. On Tuesday, it was up to 891. Even better news- her blood pressure was 80/44! A far cry from the 160/120 reading when she was first in the hospital.
I bribed Daniel on Tuesday with ice cream if he would stay and play soccer the entire length of the class. It worked! Luckily, kids scoops at Baskin Robbins are only $1.59, in the event that I have set myself up to do this every week. Ice cream and donuts aren't a bad lunch...right?
Dan's coach gave him a bag of "goodies" that he insisted I open up so he could devour whatever was inside. I, being able to read, knew that the bag was not full of gummy worms as he had hoped, but was an individually packaged 'Wet Ones' wipe. Dan still did not believe me after I opened it and unfolded the wipe, so he proceeded to sanitize his tongue.
Natalie likes to tell me interesting things about her preschool teacher. "Mommy, Miss Jaye gives me the squirts." I won't lie-- this got my attention. What, Natalie? Again, "Miss Jaye gives me the squirts." How exactly does she give you the squirts? "I get the squirts when I put my finger in my mouth or in my nose or play outside. She puts the squirts in my hand just like at home!"
Ahhh...hand sanitizer.
Today, Natalie and I went on a field trip to Wake Christian Academy. She was excited to see real kindergartners in action. Before they got to play, the preschool kids got to watch the 4th graders put on a play about being thankful. (Kudos to those 4th graders who memorized words I can't even spell, and double kudos to those 4-year-olds who sat still and watched!) The highlight for me was one adorable boy whose cuteness was only matched by his thick southern accent. He played William Tyndale, the Englishman responsible for translating much of the Bible into English. Imagine, in his sweet Opie Taylor voice: "I was born and raised in England and studied at Oxford." As I tried to hold in a giggle, I glanced over to the podium which was painted with the words Wake Christian Academy. Underneath that was a sign that read: No Food! No Drink! No Playing! Did I mention we were in the cafeteria?
Nat is so in love with "kindergarten school" that she is now counting down the days until she turns five. That comes out to be around "46-million-hundred" days.
After the field trip, I picked up Dan from preschool. He appeared from the church in his cowboy boots and hat. After buckling him in, he asked if I could be his hussy when we got home. Interesting proposition, unless you know that he can't say his R's yet. Neigh, neigh! Watch out, Mr. Ed. You've got nothing on this hussy!
We have to put a mask on Eve anytime she goes into the pediatrician's office or the clinic. Every Tuesday, she gets her blood work done at pediatrician's office. On Friday, her ANC was 500. On Tuesday, it was up to 891. Even better news- her blood pressure was 80/44! A far cry from the 160/120 reading when she was first in the hospital.
I bribed Daniel on Tuesday with ice cream if he would stay and play soccer the entire length of the class. It worked! Luckily, kids scoops at Baskin Robbins are only $1.59, in the event that I have set myself up to do this every week. Ice cream and donuts aren't a bad lunch...right?
Dan's coach gave him a bag of "goodies" that he insisted I open up so he could devour whatever was inside. I, being able to read, knew that the bag was not full of gummy worms as he had hoped, but was an individually packaged 'Wet Ones' wipe. Dan still did not believe me after I opened it and unfolded the wipe, so he proceeded to sanitize his tongue.
Natalie likes to tell me interesting things about her preschool teacher. "Mommy, Miss Jaye gives me the squirts." I won't lie-- this got my attention. What, Natalie? Again, "Miss Jaye gives me the squirts." How exactly does she give you the squirts? "I get the squirts when I put my finger in my mouth or in my nose or play outside. She puts the squirts in my hand just like at home!"
Ahhh...hand sanitizer.
Today, Natalie and I went on a field trip to Wake Christian Academy. She was excited to see real kindergartners in action. Before they got to play, the preschool kids got to watch the 4th graders put on a play about being thankful. (Kudos to those 4th graders who memorized words I can't even spell, and double kudos to those 4-year-olds who sat still and watched!) The highlight for me was one adorable boy whose cuteness was only matched by his thick southern accent. He played William Tyndale, the Englishman responsible for translating much of the Bible into English. Imagine, in his sweet Opie Taylor voice: "I was born and raised in England and studied at Oxford." As I tried to hold in a giggle, I glanced over to the podium which was painted with the words Wake Christian Academy. Underneath that was a sign that read: No Food! No Drink! No Playing! Did I mention we were in the cafeteria?
Nat is so in love with "kindergarten school" that she is now counting down the days until she turns five. That comes out to be around "46-million-hundred" days.
After the field trip, I picked up Dan from preschool. He appeared from the church in his cowboy boots and hat. After buckling him in, he asked if I could be his hussy when we got home. Interesting proposition, unless you know that he can't say his R's yet. Neigh, neigh! Watch out, Mr. Ed. You've got nothing on this hussy!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Uncle Murray
If it weren't for the male pattern baldness, you would not even know little Evie is undergoing chemo. She is most definitely thinning on the top, and will probably look like an Uncle Murray very soon, though without the creepy mustache.
My mother-in-law points out that it's a good thing that I have stopped making cakes for a while. No one wants to bite into a cupcake with hair in it. I baked a loaf of bread tonight and the first piece I sliced into had a hair baked right into the crust. I tried to tell Matt and his mom that it meant it was "artisan" bread. Blood, sweat, tears...and hair.
After the kids went down last night, I briefly left the confines of our bubble to go out for sushi with some great friends. It's the first time I've been out since Eve's birthday. Raw fish and karaoke do a soul good. Bonus: we got to enjoy the artistic stylings of Pat from Saturday Night Live! There is definitely nothing better than sexually ambiguous background music to aid in the digestion of sushi.
It was good to go out and remind myself that the world had the audacity to continue turning after Eve's diagnosis. Now I just need to try to keep up.
I just got some pretty awful news that my good friend lost her brother last night. It really puts things into perspective, as there is always someone who is dealt a worse card than you. Another family friend lost her mother yesterday evening as well. I pray that they can find peace with time.
My mother-in-law points out that it's a good thing that I have stopped making cakes for a while. No one wants to bite into a cupcake with hair in it. I baked a loaf of bread tonight and the first piece I sliced into had a hair baked right into the crust. I tried to tell Matt and his mom that it meant it was "artisan" bread. Blood, sweat, tears...and hair.
After the kids went down last night, I briefly left the confines of our bubble to go out for sushi with some great friends. It's the first time I've been out since Eve's birthday. Raw fish and karaoke do a soul good. Bonus: we got to enjoy the artistic stylings of Pat from Saturday Night Live! There is definitely nothing better than sexually ambiguous background music to aid in the digestion of sushi.
It was good to go out and remind myself that the world had the audacity to continue turning after Eve's diagnosis. Now I just need to try to keep up.
I just got some pretty awful news that my good friend lost her brother last night. It really puts things into perspective, as there is always someone who is dealt a worse card than you. Another family friend lost her mother yesterday evening as well. I pray that they can find peace with time.
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