The Hem/Onc Clinic

The more time I spend in the Hem/Onc clinic, the less I like it. It's not like it has ever been a totally unfortunate experience, but we always seem to have something go kind of negative while there. So today we had to go to the clinic for a blood transfusion because Brynlee's hematocrit was low. Having a blood transfusion takes a very long time because they have to come and take blood and send it to the lab and then mix her blood with the donor's blood to make sure that they play nice with eachother. Today we were there for about 5-1/2 hours, but it sure felt like 10 hours. I guess it is especially hard because I have to sit there and hold Brynlee for the majority of the time, and she was also pretty fussy today. Anyway, it is what it is (yes, I know that saying is used way too much).

Here is where my frustration came in today. The nurse practitioner got on my case about Brynlee looking orange. So there she was grilling me about feeding her too much carrots and sweet potatoes when I don't think I do. Apparently I am only supposed to feed her those things 2 to 3 times a week. So apparently it is a bad thing to feed her one, yes I said only one, serving of carrots or sweet potatoes a few days in a row. For example, no carrots on Monday and then sweet potatoes on Tuesday. I guess when your parenting skills are called into question, you get defensive, and I felt like she was being really critical or not very nice in the way she talked to me, almost condescending. But really? What am I supposed to feed her? Go and look at the vegetable choices, there's carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, peas (she doesn't like), mixed veggies (which has carrots), garden veggies (which has carrots), etc. I don't know. Honestly, I think she looked orange because she was so pale and in need of a blood transfusion, so the orange really showed up in her skin, and I think she was really looking hard for it.

Anyway, back off nurse practitioner! Yes, I'm having a feisty week.

So we decided to have Brynlee's next chemo over Thanksgiving. That Monday we have to have her CT and MRI scans and then on Wednesday we have to meet with the doctor to review her scans and her treatment plan and have a bone marrow aspirate, so we figured we might as well stay on schedule with the chemo (which was due to start that day anyway) rather then going back to the hospital the following Monday. It is another three-day course, and I don't know if she will be able to come home on Thanksgiving after the second day or not, but we will see.