On Thursday night Paige woke up at 2300 crying..and with a temperature of over 39C. In a healthy child a fever is not necessarily something to worry about (Sam used to have high fevers or 40 and up), simply a sign that the body is fighting infection. Unfortunately for Paige, her first line of defense against infections has been severely depleted by the treatment (actually, her neutrophils were 0.9 on Monday, so we was not technically neutropenic, but the average person has a neutrophil count of 4).
So it was off to the hospital. The procedure is to take blood, send it off to the lab and immediately start a treatment of broad spectrum antibiotics (in this case Gentamicin and Tazocin). It takes up to 48 hours to determine exactly what the infection is, but in the meantime the drugs do the job of the neutrophils.
We have been quite lucky to far: more than three months after Paige was diagnosed and this is the first time she has had a fever. Since the 28th of April, and apart from treatments, tests or lumbar punctures, she has only been in hospital twice, both times for suspected problems with her central line. And she was out within a day.
No such luck this time. The consultant has indicated that Paige could be in the hospital for 3-5 days, although in between doses of antibiotic she and Lisa may be able to come home and visit (the hospital is only 15 minutes away).
In the meantime Paige does not look unwell at all, thankfully. When I went to visit them this evening she was walking around the ward with the help of a walker, keeping the staff entertained! She is not eating very well, and getting milk in her is a struggle, as usual, but she is still smiling.
Paige Patricia Streeter - On Wednesday 13 April 2011, 303 days after she was born, our beautiful baby girl was diagnosed with Leukaemia. This is her story.
30 July 2011
26 July 2011
Green light for Chemo
Paige had quite a busy day yesterday, she woke up at 5.30am, had some milk and grabbed some more shut eye. The community nurse arrived bright and early at 8.15am to take bloods. Then the Health Visitor, Lorraine arrived at 11.00am for Paige's 1 year health check. She's doing alright on most fronts with the exception of speech which is a bit behind. She should be able to say at least 3 clear words by now and babble to herself. She used to say Papa but has now stopped since her grandpa left, and she definitely doesn't babble all day long! She'll be reassessed again at 18 months and a plan will be made then in terms of whether she needs a speech therapist or not.
By noon Wilf the oncology nurse at QA, rang with good news, Paige's neutrophils are up to 0.9 and she can start chemo again, so good news that we can crack on again, but not so good for Paige who was really enjoying her break.
In terms of Paige's moods and behavior she is relentless, when she wants something she goes for it regardless of where it is or what's in front of her, she'll clear the way and just go for it! So nothing is safe books, photos, pretty much anything that she can squeeze into her mouth and she even started biting into Sam's toys! Of course he's not too pleased. She's also started using her ride along toy and the rocking horse, all good signs that her confidence and motor skills are improving.
So oral Chemo for the next couple of weeks and no scheduled visits to the hospital till August 8th - she even gets a break from the doctors and hospitals :-)
By noon Wilf the oncology nurse at QA, rang with good news, Paige's neutrophils are up to 0.9 and she can start chemo again, so good news that we can crack on again, but not so good for Paige who was really enjoying her break.
In terms of Paige's moods and behavior she is relentless, when she wants something she goes for it regardless of where it is or what's in front of her, she'll clear the way and just go for it! So nothing is safe books, photos, pretty much anything that she can squeeze into her mouth and she even started biting into Sam's toys! Of course he's not too pleased. She's also started using her ride along toy and the rocking horse, all good signs that her confidence and motor skills are improving.
So oral Chemo for the next couple of weeks and no scheduled visits to the hospital till August 8th - she even gets a break from the doctors and hospitals :-)
23 July 2011
Treatment Lull
My beautiful baby girl is now an absolute monkey! she climbs everywhere and on everything, she has also learned how to climb back down and this includes the stairs! Her mood has definitely improved, she's eating better or rather like a normal 13 month old and plays really well on her own. She also incites mischief when Sam is around which is quite often.
In terms of treatment there's a definite lull and it almost feels like Paige has dropped off the priority list, after a couple of phone calls, I have now been visited by our POONS (Pediatric Oncology Nursing Specialist). I'm advised that it's not unusual for the blood recovery to be quite slow and a waiting period of up to 5-6 weeks can be tolerated before Chemo begins again. Of course this only had a marginal effect on reducing my anxiety and I'm not clear how it affects Paige. So bloods will be taken again on Monday at 8.15am and a decision taken. If her neutrophils are at the required 1.0 she'll start her oral Chemo next week.
I flushed Paige's line for the first time this week on Thursday, I was a bit nervous being caught off guard but I have now been signed off. The main reason for learning is that Paige's clamp has been found opened every day several times a day, but only for short periods. What happens is if her line remains un-clamped for long periods, blood can flow through and cause blockages, and/or possible infection. So it's quite important that the clamp stays closed. If found open and I'm not sure for how long it is required to be flushed through, the good news is that this event will no longer require a trip to the QA! .
Paige has been mostly house bound since she's been diagnosed due to her compromised immune system and poor Sam has also suffered because even though he is a healthy, active 3 year old. Is this fair to him? probably not so we've decided that he should have treats sometimes too and today was his first, we took him to the cinema for the first time to see Cars 2 in 3D and he really enjoyed it, he didn't even fuss much and we actually watched the whole movie, quite a treat for Russell and I as well to be out and at the cinema :-). Paige on the other hand was none the wiser as she fell asleep 15 minutes after we left and woke up about 20 minutes before we came home!
Tomorrow we'll do some finger painting ......
In terms of treatment there's a definite lull and it almost feels like Paige has dropped off the priority list, after a couple of phone calls, I have now been visited by our POONS (Pediatric Oncology Nursing Specialist). I'm advised that it's not unusual for the blood recovery to be quite slow and a waiting period of up to 5-6 weeks can be tolerated before Chemo begins again. Of course this only had a marginal effect on reducing my anxiety and I'm not clear how it affects Paige. So bloods will be taken again on Monday at 8.15am and a decision taken. If her neutrophils are at the required 1.0 she'll start her oral Chemo next week.
I flushed Paige's line for the first time this week on Thursday, I was a bit nervous being caught off guard but I have now been signed off. The main reason for learning is that Paige's clamp has been found opened every day several times a day, but only for short periods. What happens is if her line remains un-clamped for long periods, blood can flow through and cause blockages, and/or possible infection. So it's quite important that the clamp stays closed. If found open and I'm not sure for how long it is required to be flushed through, the good news is that this event will no longer require a trip to the QA! .
Paige has been mostly house bound since she's been diagnosed due to her compromised immune system and poor Sam has also suffered because even though he is a healthy, active 3 year old. Is this fair to him? probably not so we've decided that he should have treats sometimes too and today was his first, we took him to the cinema for the first time to see Cars 2 in 3D and he really enjoyed it, he didn't even fuss much and we actually watched the whole movie, quite a treat for Russell and I as well to be out and at the cinema :-). Paige on the other hand was none the wiser as she fell asleep 15 minutes after we left and woke up about 20 minutes before we came home!
Tomorrow we'll do some finger painting ......
19 July 2011
Chemo delayed
Paige's mood has definitely picked up and she's in the mood for trying new things. She now prefers drinking with a straw including her formula which is fantastic because she's finally nearing her daily fluid requirement of 600mls. She's also managing two decent meals a day with a snack at lunchtime. Her blood count unfortunately is quite low, namely her neutrophils which is at 0.3, much too low to start her oral chemo this week. The main cause seems to be her runny nose which could knock her count down. So much for last minute shopping or taking her Papa out for a meal before he leaves bright and early tomorrow morning!
I still think she is amazing though, all through her grief and pain, she manages to smile and dance to any sound including the hum of Sam's electronic toothbrush when he brushes his teeth in the morning, but I think her favorite tunes are those on her Dora book that her Aunty Gail sent for her.
Sam on the other hand has a much improved behavior and must be the most polite child. I made him some pasta yesterday and put cherry tomatoes in it because he saw them on the counter and told me he really liked them. Anyway I said "Sam I put some tomatoes in your pasta" and his response was "that's very kind of you mummy, thank you" imagine my surprise :-).
I haven't been given the revised plan for her yet but I am expecting that more bloods will be taken later this week.
I still think she is amazing though, all through her grief and pain, she manages to smile and dance to any sound including the hum of Sam's electronic toothbrush when he brushes his teeth in the morning, but I think her favorite tunes are those on her Dora book that her Aunty Gail sent for her.
Sam on the other hand has a much improved behavior and must be the most polite child. I made him some pasta yesterday and put cherry tomatoes in it because he saw them on the counter and told me he really liked them. Anyway I said "Sam I put some tomatoes in your pasta" and his response was "that's very kind of you mummy, thank you" imagine my surprise :-).
I haven't been given the revised plan for her yet but I am expecting that more bloods will be taken later this week.
17 July 2011
Steriods now complete!
Paige continued to be grumpy for the last couple of days and this also included screaming for 45 minutes on Friday and Saturday at 11.30pm. She seemed so distressed on Friday night I was almost in tears as well wondering should I call QA? what will I say Paige is crying but doesn't have a temperature or redness around her line and I can't settle her? In the end I walked around the house with her gave her some toast, codine and a bottle and she eventually settled at 12.45ish.
She obviously feels like crap but can't tell me what she needs to make her feel better so when she cries at night I now automatically take her to our bed and hold her till she falls asleep, she no longer sleeps in her cot at night, she just has a wee nap from about 8/9 till 10/11 ish then it's time to cuddle with mummy for the night :-)
At least her course of steriods is now complete. Tomorrow she's due blood tests and if she is up to a neutrophil count of 1.0, she can start her oral chemo.
She's still not eating much but managed to try some of Papa Boyz' roti and curry duck today, yummy -). Kathy also spent the weekend with us and that kept Sam quite busy and entertained!
She obviously feels like crap but can't tell me what she needs to make her feel better so when she cries at night I now automatically take her to our bed and hold her till she falls asleep, she no longer sleeps in her cot at night, she just has a wee nap from about 8/9 till 10/11 ish then it's time to cuddle with mummy for the night :-)
At least her course of steriods is now complete. Tomorrow she's due blood tests and if she is up to a neutrophil count of 1.0, she can start her oral chemo.
She's still not eating much but managed to try some of Papa Boyz' roti and curry duck today, yummy -). Kathy also spent the weekend with us and that kept Sam quite busy and entertained!
14 July 2011
Grumpy Paige
Dexamethazone (dex) is the steroid that Paige will now enjoy for 5 days, I was really looking forward to this because I remembered how well she ate the last time that she was taking it, but I must admit I forgot how grumpy it made her. Picture this she had Vincristine on Monday, this makes her jaw and tendons hurt, a lumbar puncture and bone marrow biopsy on Tuesday, which makes her really sore, combined with dex which is know to make you feel completely out of sorts and grumpy, and an oncoming cold and you get one seriously GRUMPY baby!!
She must also have a sore throat because she's only interested in jelly and fromage frais, but she did manage to eat some of mummy's curried channa and potato today, her first real curry :-)
Also because she was in such a bad mood I was not able to flush her line today after I've been practicing for the last two weeks. As the oncology nurse Sharon said, 'Lisa we'll be setting you up to fail if you tried today' she also commented on how unsettled Paige was cause she hasn't seen her like this before.
Poor Paige, life just seems more and more unfair to her .....
She must also have a sore throat because she's only interested in jelly and fromage frais, but she did manage to eat some of mummy's curried channa and potato today, her first real curry :-)
Also because she was in such a bad mood I was not able to flush her line today after I've been practicing for the last two weeks. As the oncology nurse Sharon said, 'Lisa we'll be setting you up to fail if you tried today' she also commented on how unsettled Paige was cause she hasn't seen her like this before.
Poor Paige, life just seems more and more unfair to her .....
13 July 2011
Interim Maintenance Begins
Paige enjoyed a brief, small but very special birthday party on Sunday which included her grand parents, Joanne, Eilis, Kathy and Joseph her only little buddy, he was diagnosed a couple days after her and they share a very special friendship. Pictures will be posted soon, but there are 2 shots on Joseph's blog as Celine took the photos! I lost my camera just in time for the party.
Paige started her next phase of treatment on Monday with a IV shot of chemotherapy called Vincristine, this particular drug has know side effects of jaw pain and weak thighs, not very useful for someone who's learning how to walk and teething! This phase will last for 8 weeks and is meant to be a bit easier for all of us. It will also give Paige a chance to get ready for the next phase which will be quite intensive.
She had a lumbar puncture and Bone Marrow done yesterday and results are due tomorrow, we are expecting that she continues to have a clear bone marrow and spinal fluid - fingers crossed.
Her neutrophils are quite low at 0.3 so that her oral chemotherapy, Mecaptupurine will be delayed till next week. She will continue to enjoy another chemo free couple of days - yay, which I know she's just loving. She needs to have neutrophils of at least 1.0 to begin. Of course the consultants are not worried because she has started 5 days of her steroid Dexamethazone which will push her neutrophils up!
The next few days may be tricky though as I've now got a cold as well as Sam and Paige has a runny nose, Trying to stay away from her whilst in the same house is difficult if not impossible.
Strange though as Paige finally slept through the night on Monday for the first time since we've been discharged. Russell and I even enjoyed a 'Date Night" (on the insistence and encouragement of my parents) on Monday which included a quick dinner and a movie! it felt good to do something normal :-)
So onward we march into the next phase with my very brave, strong child who continues to astound us with her positive attitude and to this dreaded disease.......
Paige started her next phase of treatment on Monday with a IV shot of chemotherapy called Vincristine, this particular drug has know side effects of jaw pain and weak thighs, not very useful for someone who's learning how to walk and teething! This phase will last for 8 weeks and is meant to be a bit easier for all of us. It will also give Paige a chance to get ready for the next phase which will be quite intensive.
She had a lumbar puncture and Bone Marrow done yesterday and results are due tomorrow, we are expecting that she continues to have a clear bone marrow and spinal fluid - fingers crossed.
Her neutrophils are quite low at 0.3 so that her oral chemotherapy, Mecaptupurine will be delayed till next week. She will continue to enjoy another chemo free couple of days - yay, which I know she's just loving. She needs to have neutrophils of at least 1.0 to begin. Of course the consultants are not worried because she has started 5 days of her steroid Dexamethazone which will push her neutrophils up!
The next few days may be tricky though as I've now got a cold as well as Sam and Paige has a runny nose, Trying to stay away from her whilst in the same house is difficult if not impossible.
Strange though as Paige finally slept through the night on Monday for the first time since we've been discharged. Russell and I even enjoyed a 'Date Night" (on the insistence and encouragement of my parents) on Monday which included a quick dinner and a movie! it felt good to do something normal :-)
So onward we march into the next phase with my very brave, strong child who continues to astound us with her positive attitude and to this dreaded disease.......
9 July 2011
Aunty Joanne & Eilis are here
I think that Paige knew that Joanne and Eilis were due to arrive yesterday and she was soo excited that she woke up at 2.30am and decided that she should play till 5.15am! Not only did she play, but also managed to climb off the bed and head straight for my parents room, banging then pushing the door open all the while calling her papa :-).
Paige really hasn't had the opportunity to play with someone her age, she and Eilis played so calmly together (Sam was at the childminder) and she kept smiling at Eilis and you could see her thinking hmmm, she's walking around, maybe I should try that as well.
Joanne and Eilis are here for the weekend and we're planning for a small intimate birthday celebration for Paige tomorrow. Since Paige had had her transfusion this week, she has really got some more color and energy now and isn't falling over as much.
Paige really hasn't had the opportunity to play with someone her age, she and Eilis played so calmly together (Sam was at the childminder) and she kept smiling at Eilis and you could see her thinking hmmm, she's walking around, maybe I should try that as well.
Joanne and Eilis are here for the weekend and we're planning for a small intimate birthday celebration for Paige tomorrow. Since Paige had had her transfusion this week, she has really got some more color and energy now and isn't falling over as much.
6 July 2011
Got Blood ?
The consultant and I tried really hard for Paige's blood to recover on their own and they rose slightly from last Thursday to Sunday, but started to fall again on Tuesday, so the decision was taken to transfuse her today. She received 150mls slowly infused over 3 hours. It was a pretty seamless. We arrived and they were ready for us, Paige played, ate her lunch and of course fell asleep when she has just 1/2 hour left of her infusion. She was bright, chipper and quite flushed after wards. She also wanted to visit her buddy Joseph who was also just admitted to QA. It was amazing to watch her caressing and smiling at this little boy who is 5 months younger than her.
Paige can now enjoy her week off until next week Monday when "Interim Maintenance" begins with Chemotherapy on Monday followed by a Lumbar Puncture on Tuesday. So I'll sign off till then unless anything major crops up.
Paige can now enjoy her week off until next week Monday when "Interim Maintenance" begins with Chemotherapy on Monday followed by a Lumbar Puncture on Tuesday. So I'll sign off till then unless anything major crops up.
3 July 2011
Fun on the trampoline
Madame had lots of fun this weekend despite having low hemoglobin and probably needing a transfusion by Monday. As you can see on the left she loved jumping on the trampoline, even though her foot never actually leaves the ground. We took her to the beach and she had a long ride on her bike and even went down near the surf but wasn't allowed to touch anything! By this afternoon I am convinced that she's definitely reached the 'monkey stage' climbing on everything including her brother's chair. Finally on my little superstar's way to bed tonight she stopped after climbing every two stairs to way goodbye and smile at her grandparents. She gets into all sorts of mischief now and it is always accompanied by the most beautiful smile :-).
2 July 2011
No Transfusion just yet
Paige had a lie in today and woke up at 6.00am, then fell asleep again and woke up at 9.45am. She is really tired now and is severely unhappy if I am more than 2 feet away from her. She had her final dose of Cytarabine today and screamed the entire time because we had to wake her up. I haven't seen her cry/cream like that since her first dressing was taken off and she was absolutely terrified, it broke my heart to watch her today and the nurses were pretty distressed too. But the silver lining in all of this, is that her illness hasn't broken her spirit. Even though she is visibly tired. Poor thing she's loosing her balance easily and isn't interested in climbing up the stairs anymore.
Anyway, after speaking with Dr Milard at QA she advised that we should hold off on Paige's transfusion until the sooner of me reporting that she is ill or unhappy or her hemoglobin falls below 6.0, she's currently 7.2. So we'll take her down to QA on Sunday for a follow up full blood count and make a plan for next week based on that. She has her last dose of oral chemo, mercaptupurine on Monday, so if she can maintain her current blood levels till then she'll hopefully avoid a transfusion. As Dr Millard said 'we just shot her blood will some really big guns"
Anyway, after speaking with Dr Milard at QA she advised that we should hold off on Paige's transfusion until the sooner of me reporting that she is ill or unhappy or her hemoglobin falls below 6.0, she's currently 7.2. So we'll take her down to QA on Sunday for a follow up full blood count and make a plan for next week based on that. She has her last dose of oral chemo, mercaptupurine on Monday, so if she can maintain her current blood levels till then she'll hopefully avoid a transfusion. As Dr Millard said 'we just shot her blood will some really big guns"
30 June 2011
Ate solid food today
For the first time in about 10 days, Paige actually had some real lunch, a risotto with squash and spinach, and she even had a fromage frais after wards! I suspect it had something to do with her 3 hour nap. She was quite clingy today and she is starting to look quite tired and pale. The cumulative effect of four weeks of Chemo seems to be taking it's toll and her hemoglobin is down to 72, so I suspect that she may have a transfusion soon, it also explains why she had a 3 hour nap at mid morning. It's so amazing to watch her though, she's tired but doesn't want to miss out on anything and also wants to maintain her independence by climbing up the stairs for her bath. She seems to be longing for a bath in the big bath with Sam but I suspect she can't till her neutrophils are back up again.
Tomorrow is her last dose of Cytrabine for the week and she goes on to some much needed maintenance so that her body can heal itself for the next onslaught of intensive Chemotherapy in 5 weeks time. With the combination of her inner strength and all the love and prayers that she is blessed with, she'll get through this phase and be ready for the next!
Tomorrow is her last dose of Cytrabine for the week and she goes on to some much needed maintenance so that her body can heal itself for the next onslaught of intensive Chemotherapy in 5 weeks time. With the combination of her inner strength and all the love and prayers that she is blessed with, she'll get through this phase and be ready for the next!
28 June 2011
MRD Results
Don't know how Paige is managing this but she now weighs 10.25kg up a wee bit by 0.1kg from last week, which is a miracle considering all she has is breakfast, small amounts of formula and Gerber puffs that her Uncle Kevin sends for her. She was also in the mood for some Doritos today. She went into the snack basket as I was packing away the groceries and my cheeky daughter managed to press on the packet and open it up I met her on the floor eating Doritos and of course it was all over the floor! She greeted me with the most beautiful smile though :-)
We headed down to Piam Brown today for the 1st dose of the final lot of Cytarabine this week, as well as a doctors review, and of course the usual catch up with our friends, Joseph and May (the two other infants) and our other friends that we've met along the way. Sam accompanied us to the hospital today and made sure to keep his sister 'nice and safe' as well as tell everyone don't touch her unless their hands were clean! We saw Mary today and she shared the good news ** Paige's Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) is quite low, this means that she is responding very well to the level of chemotherapy that she is being administered. Other literature that I have read suggests that a low MRD is a good indicator but not a guarantee that she has a good chance of being cured. Dr Morgan can't commit but advised that she has seen cases with a low MRD where the disease has returned and cases with a high MRD where a cure was achieved. For now we're just ecstatic that her MRD result is available and low.
As expected Paige's blood is almost wiped out and she may require a blood transfusion by the end of the week, blood tests will be done again on Thursday afternoon and a decision made on Friday. She be back at QA for a doctor's review on Monday, so if not this week, definitely by next week.
She's asleep now tired from the day's events of the usual dancing, playing with Sam, climbing the stairs and playing with her Mama and Papa Boyz. Of course even though she was knackered she refused to go to sleep at the appointed time because she knew that we were celebrating her 'Mama's' birthday and wanted to be there to sing along and dance. So we'll end tonight by saying a big Happy Birthday to Paige's grandmother who likes being called "Mama" .
We headed down to Piam Brown today for the 1st dose of the final lot of Cytarabine this week, as well as a doctors review, and of course the usual catch up with our friends, Joseph and May (the two other infants) and our other friends that we've met along the way. Sam accompanied us to the hospital today and made sure to keep his sister 'nice and safe' as well as tell everyone don't touch her unless their hands were clean! We saw Mary today and she shared the good news ** Paige's Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) is quite low, this means that she is responding very well to the level of chemotherapy that she is being administered. Other literature that I have read suggests that a low MRD is a good indicator but not a guarantee that she has a good chance of being cured. Dr Morgan can't commit but advised that she has seen cases with a low MRD where the disease has returned and cases with a high MRD where a cure was achieved. For now we're just ecstatic that her MRD result is available and low.
As expected Paige's blood is almost wiped out and she may require a blood transfusion by the end of the week, blood tests will be done again on Thursday afternoon and a decision made on Friday. She be back at QA for a doctor's review on Monday, so if not this week, definitely by next week.
She's asleep now tired from the day's events of the usual dancing, playing with Sam, climbing the stairs and playing with her Mama and Papa Boyz. Of course even though she was knackered she refused to go to sleep at the appointed time because she knew that we were celebrating her 'Mama's' birthday and wanted to be there to sing along and dance. So we'll end tonight by saying a big Happy Birthday to Paige's grandmother who likes being called "Mama" .
27 June 2011
Baby got new shoes
I finally braved it to the shops today with Paige so that she could finally get her first 'proper pair of shoes' and yes she definitely has her father's feet, at a size 4G, quite unfortunate really, but there's not much that I can do about it. The plan was that I get to the shops early when it's less crowded, given that she is still presumed to be neutropenic. Not a chance, we got to Fareham at 10.30am and it was absolutely heaving. Anyway I think that Paige loved being somewhere other that the hospital and our house and it was an absolute scorcher today at 26C at 10.30am!
She's losing a bit of weight now, and she is slowly starting to eat again she had strips of toast and broccoli for lunch today. She also wants to feed herself.
Paige is still extremely fortunate that she is so well. She crawls around on the floor, fights with Samuel, tip toes so that she can get into mischief and she particularly likes being on the trampoline! All the while becoming more and more vocal.
She starts Chemo again tomorrow, Cytarabine at Piam Brown and that continues for 4 days. This is the last week of this type of Chemo and consolidation ends this week. She may have a week off next week and she then goes onto Maintenance which will last for five weeks.
We are still anxiously awaiting the results of her MRD (minimum residual disease) which is now way overdue. I'll be checking again when we are at Piam Brown tomorrow. Will keep you guys posted.
She's losing a bit of weight now, and she is slowly starting to eat again she had strips of toast and broccoli for lunch today. She also wants to feed herself.
Paige is still extremely fortunate that she is so well. She crawls around on the floor, fights with Samuel, tip toes so that she can get into mischief and she particularly likes being on the trampoline! All the while becoming more and more vocal.
She starts Chemo again tomorrow, Cytarabine at Piam Brown and that continues for 4 days. This is the last week of this type of Chemo and consolidation ends this week. She may have a week off next week and she then goes onto Maintenance which will last for five weeks.
We are still anxiously awaiting the results of her MRD (minimum residual disease) which is now way overdue. I'll be checking again when we are at Piam Brown tomorrow. Will keep you guys posted.
23 June 2011
Grandpa is here
Paige's grandfather know as "Papa Boyz" arrived today and was greeted by a cheeky smile. Then the suitcase was emptied and it was like Christmas for the kids with lots of pressies from the family in Trinidad! Even mummy got early birthday presents and we got Gail's lovely treats. Even the community nurses were pleased with the treats especially since they were working flat out today. Sister Sharon had a rumbly in her tumbly! It's wonderful having daddy here and by dinner time he was feeding Sam while entertaining Paige so that I could have my dinner :-). Paige obviously remembers her Papa and is giving him lots of her special smiles.
She had her 3rd dose of Cytarabine today and we've now restarted her oral chemotherapy at home, a drug called mercaptopurine, which miraculously enough Paige is quite happy to take! this is after refusing all oral meds for the past two weeks. Her appetite is slowly improving and she is quite willing to drink water from her cup several times a day now.
Paige has developed some small spots on her arms and we are keeping a close eye on it for any signs of them increasing, any temperatures or if the spots become red or filled with liquid. She has 7 in her left hand and 3 on her right. As at the end of today, none of the above have happened.
I requested training so that I could flush her line myself and it began today, I must say the details are much more involved that the nurses make it look! So I've got all my kit to practice drawing up the stuff and I'll get to try it out next week I believe.
She had her 3rd dose of Cytarabine today and we've now restarted her oral chemotherapy at home, a drug called mercaptopurine, which miraculously enough Paige is quite happy to take! this is after refusing all oral meds for the past two weeks. Her appetite is slowly improving and she is quite willing to drink water from her cup several times a day now.
Paige has developed some small spots on her arms and we are keeping a close eye on it for any signs of them increasing, any temperatures or if the spots become red or filled with liquid. She has 7 in her left hand and 3 on her right. As at the end of today, none of the above have happened.
I requested training so that I could flush her line myself and it began today, I must say the details are much more involved that the nurses make it look! So I've got all my kit to practice drawing up the stuff and I'll get to try it out next week I believe.
22 June 2011
Cyclophosphamide Dose 2
Paige had a really long day today which started at the QA hospital. The little madame decided that she'd had enough of the cot at 4.00am and we then shared my 2ft cot bed. That really wasn't much fun. Anyway Paige's great aunt came all the way from New York to see her and other things on a brief 5 day visit to London and what do we do ? spend the night at QA while Aunty Elsie spent the night at home.
Anyway we spent a long but quite pleasant day getting to know May, a beautiful baby girl and her Mum Amy. We've met so many wonderful families along the way and it's simply obscene how sick all these beautiful children are, many with a very rare type of cancer.
It reminds me how fortunate we are that even though Paige is afflicted with this horrible disease, so far she has been relatively well and responding to her treatment. She is still extremely active and everyone on the ward today noticed how vocal she has become! She particularly loved when the clowns came round her bed for a visit.
After spending the day and getting up to date with everyone, I'm filled with too many emotions that are quite difficult to express, so I would like to ask that everyone praying for Paige please add baby May and little Abigail to their prayers for tonight.
Anyway we spent a long but quite pleasant day getting to know May, a beautiful baby girl and her Mum Amy. We've met so many wonderful families along the way and it's simply obscene how sick all these beautiful children are, many with a very rare type of cancer.
It reminds me how fortunate we are that even though Paige is afflicted with this horrible disease, so far she has been relatively well and responding to her treatment. She is still extremely active and everyone on the ward today noticed how vocal she has become! She particularly loved when the clowns came round her bed for a visit.
After spending the day and getting up to date with everyone, I'm filled with too many emotions that are quite difficult to express, so I would like to ask that everyone praying for Paige please add baby May and little Abigail to their prayers for tonight.
Day 70
In the meantime tonight, after she had had her bath and was refusing to sleep, I noticed that the exit wound of her line was inflamed. In fact, it had bled very slightly. This, of course, required an immediate call to the hospital and, inevitably, a trip to the hospital. The nurse changed her dressing and by then the bleeding had stopped, but the flesh was still red. The big risk here is infection (specifically, bacterial), but it is difficult to spot: with her low neutrophil count, the wound will not secrete pus in the normal way, making it look less serious. But equally the redness could be due to her tugging at the line. A high temperature is the best indication of an infection (hence why we almost never give her paracetamol) but Paige's temperature was normal. In fact, she was bouncing around the room.
Given the infection risk, the doctors wanted to start her on Flucoxacillin, an antibiotic with onerous guidelines. She has had this before and it did not seem to do much, except put her off her food. Plus, Lisa and I were sure that she did not have an infection. In the end, we compromised by agreeing to keep her in the hospital overnight in case her temperature spiked. So she and Lisa are sleeping at hotel QA tonight. Which sucks, but at least it's only a precaution.
Russell
19 June 2011
June 19th - Happy Father's Day
Paige climbed onto our bed all by herself this morning! Milestone for her :-)
Quite an uneventful weekend, she had her 4th dose of cytarabine at QA yesterday and we came home, her appetite is a bit diminished but I've come to expect that after 4 doses of Chemo. She'll have her drug free day tomorrow and hopefully eat better. She's looking really well despite her low hemoglobin (89) and neutrophil count (0.4) and continues to be so active and alert, climbing the stairs every chance she gets when the stair gate is open. One of her favorite pastimes is emptying all the items from the bottom shelf of the occasional table in the kitchen.
We celebrated father's day with a spinach, artichoke dip, followed by stewed pork and mummy's yummy roti. We ended with a peach cake for dessert. Sam decided that we should have a cake since it was a day of celebration, he obviously liken the day to a 'birthday'. We were all sitting at the table merrily having lunch, when Sam raised his cup of juice and said "Cheers everybody", he obviously knew that it was a special occasion and that he should wish his dad a happy father's day. Sam continues to amaze us.
Quite an uneventful weekend, she had her 4th dose of cytarabine at QA yesterday and we came home, her appetite is a bit diminished but I've come to expect that after 4 doses of Chemo. She'll have her drug free day tomorrow and hopefully eat better. She's looking really well despite her low hemoglobin (89) and neutrophil count (0.4) and continues to be so active and alert, climbing the stairs every chance she gets when the stair gate is open. One of her favorite pastimes is emptying all the items from the bottom shelf of the occasional table in the kitchen.
We celebrated father's day with a spinach, artichoke dip, followed by stewed pork and mummy's yummy roti. We ended with a peach cake for dessert. Sam decided that we should have a cake since it was a day of celebration, he obviously liken the day to a 'birthday'. We were all sitting at the table merrily having lunch, when Sam raised his cup of juice and said "Cheers everybody", he obviously knew that it was a special occasion and that he should wish his dad a happy father's day. Sam continues to amaze us.
17 June 2011
June 17th
Day 3 of Cytarabine and Paige seems completely oblivious to the fact that she's having Chemo. Her appetite continues and she's drinking enough, can't ask for much more! She's started climbing onto things now and goes on her tippy toes to try and reach things. It's really quite funny to watch her try to reach stuff then of course she can't and gets frustrated. She's also pointing at things and saying something that resembles 'dat', must be the Trini blood.
She seems to be bonding more and more with Sam, it's beautiful to watch them play together now. Of course every time Sam wants attention now he says "mummy I'm not feeling well", and this happens roughly 10-20 times a day.
The second most asked question of us is "how are you coping" and the answer is simply, "we haven't got a choice". Paige doesn't know that she sick and we haven't told her so sssshhhh. Sam's very switched on but I'm not sure how much he understands. So I keep busy with the everyday chores, and Russell goes to work, and we live day by day because every one is so different. It's very helpful that Paige is so active and alert so she gives us that much needed boost to keep going. It's also very reassuring that the medical support and in particular Paige's consultant Mary Morgan is the best in her field in the region. The Piam Brown team is fantastic, not just with medical support but particularly with moral support as well. The nursing team listens and they try to help with all questions. An e.g was my concern about Paige's eating, Liz, one of the nurses spent an hour giving me ideas of how to deal with simple things like where to sit her, trying various portions snacks etc, and most importantly staying calm and relaxed during meal times. This was despite the fact that she's maintaining her weight and in the 75th percentile for her age. Then I got a call from the nutritionist the next day! Talk about follow through. They also make sure that we always have all the kit that Paige requires, sometimes when I'm leaving the hospital I think that they'll stop me because I have so much stuff !
So in essence we have the unwavering love and support of our family and friends, a qualified and compassionate medical team and of course our beautiful daughter who continues to give us strength and courage by her beautiful smiles and nonchalant approach to her illness.
She seems to be bonding more and more with Sam, it's beautiful to watch them play together now. Of course every time Sam wants attention now he says "mummy I'm not feeling well", and this happens roughly 10-20 times a day.
The second most asked question of us is "how are you coping" and the answer is simply, "we haven't got a choice". Paige doesn't know that she sick and we haven't told her so sssshhhh. Sam's very switched on but I'm not sure how much he understands. So I keep busy with the everyday chores, and Russell goes to work, and we live day by day because every one is so different. It's very helpful that Paige is so active and alert so she gives us that much needed boost to keep going. It's also very reassuring that the medical support and in particular Paige's consultant Mary Morgan is the best in her field in the region. The Piam Brown team is fantastic, not just with medical support but particularly with moral support as well. The nursing team listens and they try to help with all questions. An e.g was my concern about Paige's eating, Liz, one of the nurses spent an hour giving me ideas of how to deal with simple things like where to sit her, trying various portions snacks etc, and most importantly staying calm and relaxed during meal times. This was despite the fact that she's maintaining her weight and in the 75th percentile for her age. Then I got a call from the nutritionist the next day! Talk about follow through. They also make sure that we always have all the kit that Paige requires, sometimes when I'm leaving the hospital I think that they'll stop me because I have so much stuff !
So in essence we have the unwavering love and support of our family and friends, a qualified and compassionate medical team and of course our beautiful daughter who continues to give us strength and courage by her beautiful smiles and nonchalant approach to her illness.
15 June 2011
Posting comments
However, after a bit of research, I have now changed the settings so that anyone can post a comment without needing one of the profiles above. Sorry for the confusion and we look forward to hearing from you.
RusS.
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