She got a bolus

This morning there were trace amounts of blood in two of her urine samples, so they gave her a bolus to flush her out before starting chemo today. These drugs can cause your bladder to become toxic which in turn damages the bladder. More than likely this is a minor thing and not something to be overly worried about. They are going to give her Benadryl after the Iphos. but before the Etop. today (that's chemo slang....LOL) The Iphos. is the one that can cause seizures, but the side effects do not generally start until after it is all infused and the next drug is started. I am SOOOO happy they are pre-medicating her today. It is no fun to sit and watch her body convulse for an hour. I hope her thumb is not in her mouth yet. It really needed a few hours to air out. It is looking kind of funky which is really par for the course. Summer told me this morning that we need to soak it in water. Of course, we'll have to put some Epsom salt in there too so it can do its magic. I doubt we will ever get around to that though. It depends on how it looks when we get home tomorrow. Her cooperativeness plays a part too, but if it is really hurting she will usually do what's best for her thumb and let it soak.

She was on the tricycle again this morning with Paw-Paw in tow when I left. I'm glad she felt like riding some before chemo started. It is her exercise, and yes SHE did call it that. :) It is also good exercise for whoever follows, especially when you add in some walking lunges.

She had some Frosted Flakes with milk for breakfast, but not too much of it before she was "full." Then she drank a carton of OJ & Miralax. She still has not pooped since Thursday. I can't believe it, but it must of been all the cheese on the sandwiches???? When we get home we will get it all straightened out though I am sure. On the other hand, she wants me to bring her tomatoes and balsamic vinegar when I go back to the hospital (she gets this from her Daddy). We'll see if she eats any though.

Last night (in the evening) she was conscious and fidgety and seemed to be uncomfortable. I called the nurse and asked if she could have some Benadryl. Then I asked Summer if she wanted to go to sleep or stay awake. I told her they could give her medicine to help her sleep and make her feel better, but she grunted that she wanted to stay awake. She doesn't talk very much when she is on these drugs. About all you can get out of her is "I need to pee." Maybe a nod or a head tilt. And, that's what I got. When the nurse came, I told her I asked Summer and she didn't want to sleep. Since she didn't seem too uncomfortable or fidgety, I let her just lay there beside me drifting in and out of sleep. And, of course, giving that thumb a good sucking. She had a pretty peaceful night and slept really hard wetting her panties a few times. I noticed that she is not peeing as much at one time as she usually does on this cycle: 150-200 ml vs. 300-400 ml. Don't if that has anything to do with the blood in the pee, but just wanted to make a note of it while it is still in my head.

As always, please keep praying and sending positive vibes our way!

She's twitchy

Today has not been the smoothest day for Summer. She started twitching and jerking during the administration of the last chemo drug. They didn't want to really treat her twitching while the drug (Etopside) was being infused so they would know how bad of a reaction she was really having. After it finished, they did give her some Benadryl to take the edge off. It helped her to be able to fall asleep and stop twitching so I was happy after that. Kind of nervous before because there was nothing I could do but sit, watch and try to reassure her she was okay all the while feeling completely helpless (and scared) on the inside. I just kept waiting for it to go to a full blown seizure, but it didn't. PTL! One more day of this drug and we are done with it until cycle 8.

Last night she wanted some California rolls after opening a piece of mail from one of her angels. Her angel mentioned that she was going to California and that set Summer off on the "I want some California rolls right now" spill. I didn't expect her to eat them if we got them, but I tried to get some from the cafeteria. Guess what??? They only serve those on weekdays. So, I called Daddy to see if he could help us out and bring some seeing that we only live a couple of blocks from a sushi place. We finally got him to come and she gobbled them up, all but one that is. I was amazed. She really didn't want the avocado or crab meat out of them, but she enjoyed the rest. I guess those two things didn't match her palate last night. She also had some apple juice which was great because I was able to get her Miralax in her via that.

Today she hasn't really had much to eat. A few bites of yogurt and some OJ is about it I think. Oh yeah, and the last California roll. :) That was all this morning pre-chemo.

She is lying here next to me now sucking her thumb into a very bad condition. I'll just say the skin is coming off on some parts. Ever faithful Teddy is in her arms giving her the comfort that only a stuffed bear can. She looks beautiful. I just can't wait until she beats this ugly disease.

Please pray for her and all the other children out there fighting for their lives. I also encourage you to go to your local blood bank and give blood or platelets if you can. Summer needs them both regularly and she is not the only one out there. Remember, it is better to give than receive.

Cycle 6, Day 2

She is sleeping peacefully beside me as she finishes up her chemo for the day. When I started to eat lunch (spaghetti) about an hour ago, she threw up. So I guess the sight of it made her nauseous.

Last night she weighed 33.4 pounds which was up from about 32.5 the day before and 31.9 the day before that. That is awesome! She hasn't eaten anything but a few bites of yogurt today. She also had about 6 or 7 ounces of orange juice, about half of that came back up. I doubt she will be up for eating anything else today. More than likely she will sleep the rest of the day, but maybe not. My aunt is coming to give me a break in a bit and I hope she brings a book. I kind of feel bad leaving her here with Summer just sleeping, but I do need to get out of this room for a little while.

Earlier, she was hoping to go out and ride the tricycle after her chemo was finished for the day. Now I'll be surprised if she gets on it at all today. She was on that thing a lot yesterday. She can go really fast now and you can't drag your feet when you follow her pushing the IV pole.

Please pray she rests peacefully and doesn't empty her stomach anymore today. She's such a trooper and is so blessed to have so many praying for her. Thank you all!

Cycle 6 is underway

Summer was admitted to the hospital yesterday. Her platelets were up to 94,000, her ANC was about 1700 (from my calculations), and her hemoglobin was 7.6. She is getting blood today to bring her hemoglobin up. The "normal" range is 11.4-13.9. She will not get it until this afternoon a couple hours after she gets her first dose of chemo - Carboplatin. She gets it over an hour. Tomorrow, Sunday and Monday she will get Iphosmafide and Etopside which are the "bad" drugs in my opinion. Of course all of the chemo drugs are good and bad. They are all poisons/toxins, but they help to kill cancer so she needs them. The drugs she gets over the next three days kind of mess with her mind which can be pretty scary if she is awake. Well, its scary when she is asleep too. Thankfully, they keep her pretty sedated after she gets them so she will be mostly sleeping for the next few days starting around noon (give or take an hour). I already have a few people lined up for relief everyday so that is AWESOME!!! I will be forever grateful to them for letting me keep some of my sanity. What isn't already lost anyway. LOL

Summer was riding the tricycle when I left this morning. She has had the best time on that thing the past two days. Last night we went to the rooftop garden after my mom & Tre left. She wanted to ride the tricyle, but it was hard because they have artificial grass out there which doesn't allow for smooth sailing. The hospital halls are a different story. I don't think I've ever seen her have that much fun on a tricycle. She rode it for about 30 or 45 minutes straight. She kept telling her Barney shoes to go faster. It was funny! They have a few "hills" in the hallway which are really her favorite part. She almost crashed a few times (they are not that steep) which made my heart pound and hers too. But, those were her favorite times. She absolutely LOVED them. Haven't seen her enjoy herself so much in a while so I am really treasuring those memories right now.

Not sure what the rest of the day will hold for her. But I see a few games of "Pretty, Pretty Princess" being played. We played twice last night. I won the first time and she won the second. Of course, I think she took a few extra pieces here and there in that second game. :)

What she wore grocery shopping....avoiding looking at the camera as usual.

She has been eating great the past few days. I have made a couple of middle of the night grilled cheese sandwiches. Then she would get up and eat them for breakfast too. I doubled the cheese in each one. Can't have too many calories!! She got up this morning at 4:00 and told me she was done sleeping. I cut on cartoons and told her I was going to keep sleeping which she seemed fine with. She also said she was hungry and asked for an Oreo which she ate half of. A few minutes later she was ready for bed again. PTL! Her food palette really changes all the time. She will get stuck on something and eat it for days. Then never again. The other day she wanted these snacks when we went grocery shopping: Oreos, cupcakes, cotton candy and peanut butter crackers. She also wanted some rice krispy treats, but I didn't know what she was talking about. She kept asking for the stuff with the marshmallows so I should've figured it out, but all I could think of was hot chocolate and that wasn't it. Oh well. I think my aunt is bringing her some tomorrow. Did I mention how I love visitors????

We went to the zoo the other day with some friends - Alicia, Liliana, & Laila. We also had Lexie with us. It was fun even though Summer got bit by the pony at the petting zoo. He barely nipped her elbow. The bite could have been mistaken for a nibble from my mouth it was so small. Luckily, she forgot about it after we left that part of the zoo (as had I until now). I think Summer's favorite part was the carousel. She wanted to ride twice, of course.

Please pray that the next few days will be uneventful for Summer. Can't wait til Tuesday! Then cycle 6 will be over.

Wordless Wednesday

Packed, but not ready!

Today we go to the clinic to be admitted if Summer's numbers are up. Cycle 6 of chemo would start tomorrow which would put us home again on Saturday. Long week!

She is currently getting tatted up with Smoothie King tattoos. She also has a butterfly and a heart. She likes to say "1-2 buckle my shoes, 3-4 shut the door, 5-6 pick up sticks, 7-8 lay them straight, 9-10 a big fat hen" while she lets the washcloth soak the tattoo onto her skin.

I just gave her some Avon deodorant that she found in my Avon box. She said, "Thanks for letting me have it." Man she is really growing up to be wanting deodorant at three. Now she is in the other room explaining what it does to her daddy. LOL She told him it washes her and makes her clean.

One other cute thing she said this morning that made us both laugh was right after she showered and was getting her clothes ready to get dresses. She said, "I need three things. Panties, I mean underwears." Then we broke into hysterics. The way she said underwears was hilarious. After we stopped she muttered, "Too silly." LOL I love that girl!!!

BTW - I've started another blog if anyone is interested in reading it. It is more about me and will be private so I can be free to share all those things that you just sometimes need to say. :) So, if you want in, send me your email or leave in a comment and I will add you.

Summerisms: Age 3 #2

When looking at an online card with a beach/pool scene from Nona & Nono:
"That's pretty cool. Did they put on sunscreen?"

Yesterday morning she woke up having ate a Fudge Round just before bed and not brushing her teeth (because I was too tired to brush them again):
"My teeth didn't rot out."

Boy did I laugh at that one!!!

She really cracks me up, I mean out. :p