Two weeks of the treatment plan down, 58 to go....

So Bella had her second round of chemo today. So far so good. With both treatments she has not thrown up and doesn't seem to feel nausea. She is eating less at a sitting, but that may be due to her taste being affected by the chemo. I'm combatting this by having her eat several small meals a day. I've also started with her calorie boosters: heavy whipping cream, butter, and more butter. A cardiologist would die! She doesn't seem to get too tired by the chemo and is still doing lots of new things like standing up in her crib!!!! She needs a little help getting into the standing position, but she doesn't scream when she's standing which is a good thing. Wednesday in physical therapy she stood mostly by herself for a whole minute and 10 seconds. This may not seem like much, but it is huge for her. And she tolerated standing fairly well to boot.

People talk about how strong I am with everything I've had to deal with the past two years. I'm only strong because of Bella. She needs me so much and I have to keep it together for her. She is my strength. And so is God. He knew I would need her in my life because He knew what crap I would have to go through. He made her so beautiful and funny. She brightens every single day and I thank God for that.

Sorry there are no pictures. I'll have a few the next time.

Adios!

Jen and Bella

Crazy Weekend

Friday, Bella had her port placed. The surgery went well and only took about an hour. She woke up a little fiesty, but quickly calmed down and had her juice. We arrived home in the p.m. and she was kicking and laughing. By 11 p.m. Friday night, Bella was throwing up. She threw up three times within an hour and a half. The oncall doc said it was probably the anaesthesia and to give her anti-nausea medicine. She couldn't keep the medicine down, but the vomitting subsided. A little after 6 a.m. on Saturday Bella was throwing up again. She threw up about four times in two hours and the oncall doc had me take her to the ER at Vandy. The first concern is always a shunt malfunction. The hospital did a CT scan and a series of X-rays. They all turned out fine. Actually, the water spaces in her brain look better than the previous scan. My next concern was dehydration from the vomitting. When she gets dehydrated, Bella is at risk for her sodium level to plummet. But the doctor ordered for her electrolytes to be checked. They were all perfect. So at the end of the day the diagnosis was a virus. The silver lining in all of this was the amazing care we received at the children's hospital there at Vandy. They are so organized and thorough. They are proactive. And the whole hospital is networked! What a novel concept in the 21st century. I didn't have to answer the same questions a million times. Everything was in their computer for any department to access. This experience was the exact opposite of anything I've experienced at Kosair.

So that was our weekend. Hope yours was better.

Please keep Bella in your prayers for this Thursday. She receives her first chemo treatment.

Jen and Bella