There's No Place Like ... Home!

Jade is happy, healthy, at home, and one step closer to putting this cancer journey behind her.  So excited to have headed home this weekend with our baby girl!  She is scheduled for a biopsy on August 21st, which we pray will show no cancer in her bone marrow.

Now, 'tis time to catch up on some rest!

Thank you for all of your prayers, positive thoughts, and support throughout this journey.

Day 32, Chemo Round 5:: Almost Home!

Jade's ANC more than doubled overnight.  So, we celebrated with Beyonce... Okay, not with Beyonce, but with a pretty mean dance to Love On Top.  (Jade's almost as big of a fan as I am.) We are almost home!  The discharge paperwork has been prepped, the prescriptions have been written, the bags have been packed (in my mind), and we've got three feet out of the door. (One is mine, but I'll be carrying Jade. So, yeah. Three feet.)  :)

Today's Counts
White Blood Cells: 0.65
Hemoglobin: 13.5
Platelets: 56
ANC: 170

Day 31, Chemo Round 5 :: Looking Up!

Who's that lady?

Things are looking up from here!  Jade is making platelets and hemoglobin all on her own (Tuesday's transfusion will be the last for this admission), and her white blood cells and neutrophil count are beginning to recover steadily. The mouth sores and infection are vanishing and her appetite is picking up quite nicely... and after six long days, she pooped.  I'm just about ready to pack our bags.  :)

Thanks for every prayer sent up and positive thought sent our way.

Today's Counts-
White Blood Cells: 0.63
Hemoglobin: 13.3
Platelets: 52
ANC: 80

Day 29, Chemo Round 5 :: Hello, ANC!

Soooooo glad to see you, ANC.

Jade's ANC finally came out of hiding today! Never mind that she started a new medicine (nystatin) for a fungal infection in her mouth and had a blood transfusion because her hemoglobin level (oxygen carrying capacity of the blood) dropped too low and her pulse rate was elevated (the body increases the heart rate to move blood -- and the oxygen it's carrying -- faster through the tissue). 

A pint of blood and three hours later, there was no stopping Jade.  Walking, coloring, singing, you name it.  It wasn't until nearly 11pm (gasp) that she declared, "I'm finished," and traded her Color Wonder markers and Tinker Bell coloring book for a splash of milk and momma's kisses.  Good night, sweet baby!

We have our hopes set on a discharge this week, so resolving this mouth situation and an ANC of 250 for at least two days is high on our prayer list. As always, thanks for keeping Jade in your prayers and thoughts.

Today's Counts:
White Blood Cells: 0.36
Hemoglobin: 7.0
Platelets: 21
ANC: 20
Pulse Rate: 140 at rest (Jade's normal rate is 100)

Day 27, Chemo Round 5 :: C'mon ANC!

Ready for bed.

We've had a couple of restless nights, but it looks like Jade and I will finally get some sound sleep tonight thanks to some  "Magic Mouthwash" - a mixture of maalox, benadryl, and lidocaine that is actually called by that name - and a small dose of oxycodone.  The tiny sore that we spotted on Jade's tongue last week didn't alarm us at first; mouth sores, or mucositis, are a know side effect of chemo, especially the chemotherapy agents that Jade receives.  Jade actually developed one mouth sore late in her previous round of chemo, but it resolved pretty quickly on its own.


The one sore we saw last week, however, is now at least three (apparently these little suckers can pop up in the mouth and throughout the throat; the chemo attacks cancer cells and other rapidly dividing cells.  The cells that line the mouth, throat, stomach, and bowel fall into that "rapidly dividing" category).  They're pretty uncomfortable from what the doctors describe and from what I can gauge from changes to Jade's normally playful demeanor and healthy appetite -- this cranky baby woke up every hour on the hour overnight and only ate a couple of spoons of oatmeal, a few bites of a pancake, and a couple of crackers all day.

Aside from frequent rinsing and smart eating/drinking, there's no real treatment for the sores themselves. The mouthwash and pain medication are to ease the discomfort and make eating and sleeping more possible. The sores typically clear up when the ANC recovers, so... c'mon ANC!

Today's Counts
White Blood Cells: 0.19
Hemoglobin: 7.5
Platelets: 11
ANC: 0

Day 25, Chemo Round 5 :: A Roller Coaster Ride

Sorry for taking you guys on this roller coaster ride! Believe me, we wish it were all uphill too. Jade's ANC lost the ground that it gained yesterday and is back at zero.  Bahumbug.


Today's Counts
White Blood Cells: 0.2
Hemoglobin: 8.3
Platelets: 22
ANC: 0

And the peach fuzz that was beginning to fill in quite nicely on her little head is also coming out again ... I know it's just hair; it just takes me back to how sobering it was when Jade first lost her hair.  The sinking feeling that came with waking up to pillowcases covered by her tiny curls each day, and no longer being able to talk myself out of the diagnosis, with her bald head a constant reminder of her cancer and the queue for my final acceptance.  But so much has changed since then; we have all grown and learned so much (Jade even identifies her central line by its proper name, "broviac") ... and now, the end of her in-patient treatment plan is almost in sight.  Thank God for that! 

Jade's Bush... Jan 2012

Jade's Fade... Feb 2012

Happy to be...
March 2012

Shiny
April 2012

Bye-bye, eyebrows and lashes.
May 2012

Where'd they go?
June 2012

Welcome back, brows.
July 2012

Enough to brush?
August 2012

Day 24, Chemo Round 5 :: ANC On the Rise

An "all clear" from ophthamology and a rising ANC -- we are so thankful.  We just need Jade's ANC to keep rising (and for her constipation and mouth sore to resolve) so we can head on home! Thank you for continuing to keep our little girl in your thoughts and prayers.


Today's Counts
White Blood Cells: 0.2
Hemoglobin: 9.3
Platelets: 22
ANC: 10

Day 23, Chemo Round 5 :: The EVAN Foundation

Wednesday nights rarely disappoint Jade; they are, after all, Treat Cart nights, when all of the patients on the oncology floor are visited by the EVAN Foundation's Treats and Treasure Cart.  Sunglasses, puzzles, bracelets, necklaces, books, wands, a tiara -- all reasons that Jade looks forward to the Treat Cart.

Evan's Victory Against Neuroblastoma (EVAN) Foundation is the labor of love of two parents who lost their only child to another rare form of pediatric cancer, neuroblastoma, less than two years ago.  Since then, they have dedicated themselves to fighting for a cure everyday by raising awareness, and supporting research and patient wellness programs (like the Treats and Treasure Cart.)  www.theevanfoundation.org 

Jade and Madison take to the halls in their princess fare
after a recent visit with  the EVAN Foundation's Treats and Treasure Cart.

I hope that one day, after Jade's treatment is finished, we will find some way to give back and support other families who have been affected by pediatric cancer. Thanks for checking in on Jade and keeping her lifted up in your thoughts and prayers.

Today's Counts

White Blood Cells: 0.2

Hemoglobin: 9.3

Platelets: 34

ANC: 0