Chemo Round #6

Before I start the update on the chemo, I just wanted to direct your attention to the right side of my blog. There is a link to a blog called Utah Mom's with Cancer Fighting Cuties. This is a group that I am a part of online, and we help eachother and offer support, and I am so glad to be a part of it. These are moms that actually "get" what I am dealing with. Anyway, they have a post up about blood donation and bone marrow registry. I simply couldn't put it into words as well as they did the important need for blood donation and bone marrow donors. I know many people want to help, and this is a great way to help, and it is FREE. You just need to make some time. Brynlee has had 4 blood transfusions and 1 platelet transfusion so far, and so many of the lives of these kiddos depend on transfusions because they cannot have their chemo if their counts are too low. If you can't have chemo, you can't get rid of the cancer. Anyway, please take a minute to read about it.

So yesterday Brynlee had round 6 of chemotherapy. I was really hoping that round 6 would be the last round, but at this point it appears that we will still have 2 more rounds. After round 4, the thought of doing 2 more rounds, and especially 4 more rounds, was more than I could take. However, knowing that there are only 2 more rounds, even though it is a bummer, I am okay with it at this point in time. I feel like I can handle it. With that being said, I am still secretly praying and hoping that somehow we won't have to do two more rounds.

So round 6 is a heavy-hitting round and consisted of the same chemo from round 2. She received Carboplatin, Cytoxan (or cyclofosfomide), and Doxirubicin. The Doxirubicin is even this orange/red color, so you know that must be potent stuff, right? Just to explain a little bit about how the chemo works for us. We usually arrive at the hospital in the morning and then they start her on fluids and we wait, and wait, and wait, and wait until the pharmacy decides to send up her chemo. Actually she has to have so much fluid and her urinalysis has to be okay and her urine output has to be okay before they can start, but sometimes all of that stuff is in order and we still have to wait for the pharmacy, like yesterday.

We arrived at 9:30 yesterday and got her fluids and everything going, but we didn't get the chemo started until about 2:30. It took 2 hours and 15 minutes to push through the three chemo drugs and then we had to do fluids for another three hours. I had mentioned to the nurse (who was absolutely great yesterday) that I didn't know why we had to stay overnight because we never have any trouble, but what do you do? It's protocol. Now the doctors and nurse practitioners have been very good to let us leave as soon as possible and even let us do the third day of chemo (when that is required) in the clinic, so I can't complain. Well yesterday they totally shocked me. The nurse mentioned something to the nurse practitioner (Dayna, who is absolutely one of our favorites) who mentioned it to the doctor (Dr. Wright, who is not Brynlee's doctor but one of our favorites), and they said if everything went okay we could go home after the fluids. So we finished her fluids at 8ish and got her disconnected and dressed and got to come home by about 8:30 p.m. So we spent about 11 hours inpatient yesterday. I just can't say enough how nice it is to not have to stay overnight!

So far so good with Brynlee. This combination of chemo is typically pretty beasty as they are all drugs with nausea and vomiting side effects, but she has done well. I even promised them I would keep the Zofran going around the clock and so I was up at 2 a.m. to give her the dose of Zofran. Even though I am tired and Blair snored last night and I got very little sleep, it was worth it just to have her home.

Here is Brynlee chilling in her crib waiting for the chemo. Future nurse or doctor maybe?

One of the great things about Primary Children's is the support that they get from the community. Yesterday two of the uppity ups from the Utah Highway Patrol stopped by to visit and well wish and gave us a cute fleece blanket. Brynlee didn't particularly care for them and hid her face under the blanket, but we appreciate everyone that gives in any way to PCMC.

Here is Brynlee with the blanket they gave her. It is green with snowflakes and mittens. Very cute! Thanks UHP!