Day 11, Chemo Round 5 :: Eyes Wide Shut

Today was a pretty rotten day.  Jade spent most of the day in the dark, refusing to open her irritated eyes.  "Too hot!" she said. Jade literally only opened her eyes for eight brief moments today. And though she made an appearance in the playroom and even took a short, guided walk through the halls (albeit with her eyes sealed shut), Jade's inflamed eyes ultimately translated to more naps and even more time in mommy's arms.   

One of the side effects of the high-dose cytarabine that she received this round is chemical conjunctivitis.  When the nurse forcibly pried her eyes open, they didn't appear to be pink, but the irritation to her eyes is clear based on her behavior.  There was no amount of coaxing that we could do -- with the ipad, child life specialist, puzzles, paints, "gummies," and other treats -- to get Jade to open her eyes. So, the doctors have increased the frequency of our beloved eye drops to every two hours (that's around the clock... regardless of who's sleeping or not) and extended the duration (we were supposed to end Saturday morning at 5:30). 

Today's Counts

White Blood Cells: 0.17

Hemoglobin: 9.4

Platelets: 49

ANC: 40 (still haven't hit zero yet) 

Thanks for checking in on our munchkin; your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.