Drama-filled Days

Everybody sing it with me (to the tune of Hi Ho the Derry-O):

The MRI was clear
The MRI was clear
The chemo is working
The MRI was clear

It was a long, grueling day but worth it to hear that there are no signs of the tumor on the scan. We arrived at 7:30am but were kept waiting and trying to entertain a cranky, hungry 2 year old until 8:30am. She was fussing in Jeff's arms when they finally administered the sedation and with a single breath, she fell limp. Even though we've experienced this bizarre change several times, it never ceases to disarm me. After a 3 hour MRI, she awoke a very unhappy child. We had tried to dictate the sedation medication from our prior experiences but she had what they call a "rough wake-up" nonetheless.

We carried our crying child to the clinic and tried to calm her in the waiting room. The receptionist who was either sympathetic or exhausted from hearing Lillian scream finally arranged for a room. After turning out the lights and hugging her quietly, Lillian finally relaxed. As expected, she needed both blood and platelet transfusions which take about 6 hours combined. Needless to say we had the clinic all to ourselves for several hours late into the evening. We left the hospital at 8pm after a twelve hour day exhausted and not all together ready to return the next morning for her kidney test.

This was by far the most smooth of her 3 kidney tests to date. The poke was quick and relatively painless thanks to the numbing cream we'd applied in advance. Lillian played happily over the 3 1/2 hour wait and all three blood draws went well. Even the weekly dressing change which is normally drama-filled was over in a flash. As though she sensed that things were progressing too easily, Lillian decided to throw the king of all tantrums once we got home this afternoon. Who can blame her really? She has been poked and squeezed and annoyed for a day and a half straight. She is now sleeping peacefully which is sacred time for all of us. In fact, it's time for me to rest and veg out for a rare moment.

We aren't due back to the hospital until Tuesday. Because her platelets dropped so low, they may not recover in time for our scheduled inpatient chemotherapy on Wednesday. We will have counts drawn on Tuesday to see if she can continue on schedule or delay it a week. Although the doctor assures us that it is normal to have delays, we are still hopeful that we can continue as planned. On one hand, it's hard to believe that we're already half way through her chemo. On the other hand, it's hard to believe that we're only halfway through her chemo. Please pray that her little body can produce the required platelets, white cells and red cells by Tuesday. And, I almost forgot, praise that she has gained a few ounces in the past week! (Haven't we all???)