We came back into the hospital this morning for a 5 day chemotherapy treatment. With the treatment comes a catheter once again. The nurse gave her some Ativan this morning to help calm her while they inserted the catheter (previous times she has been highly sedated due to her spinal treatments, but didn't have one today). The Ativan has actually worked and Maggie has been sleeping for most of the afternoon. She has already had her 2 doses of chemotherapy and is on IV fluids the rest of the day. The chemotherapy treatments consist of 1 2-hour IV and another 30 minute infusion. The Cytoxan (30 minute infusion) can cause some nausea, so hopefully that doesn't occur. Maggie received this drug the first weekend of her diagnosis and it (or another drug) caused some nausea and vomitting. These chemotherapy drugs that she is receiving now will cause her counts to wipe out once again, which means she will be highly susceptable to infection. We pray that she will stay infection-free, especially these next couple of weeks when her body will be repairing itself.
On another note, Maggie has not been eating solids very well so I decided to try experimenting with some real food. She is taking to practicing eating a variety of foods--snow peas, cheerios, animal crackers, cucumbers, green beans, graham crackers, cinnamon toast crunch, and bread (just to name a few). She is also beginning to drink from a cup (we might just bi-pass the sippy cup). I'm learning that my little one just might want to grow up quicker than I thought. She's always been an independent little girl and she is beginning to show us now through self-feeding.
One other little step in the right direction--Maggie allowed her nurse to hold her today for awhile. This is quite a feat, given that only Mom and Dad (and Aunt Morgan) have been able to do so the last several months. She seems to be getting more comfortable in the surroundings that she is in, and perhaps leaving the stranger anxiety stage.
Please pray that these next 5 days will be easy on Maggie. Pray that she will not get sick from the chemo or have any other side effects, and that she will continue to be the happy, smiling girl that we've had the joy of witnessing the last month. Please also pray that as her counts go down, she will stay healthy and that they will recover quickly.
4 comments:
Thanks for sharing those signs of Maggie's continuing curiosity about new things, such as foods, and increasing comfort with her surroundings, as while sitting on a nurse's lap.
Despite all that's happening to her, that little spirit fights on!
You will all be especially in my thoughts and prayers during the next five days so crucial to her chemotherapy.
Love. Great Aunt Phyllis
Dear Whitney, Andy and Maggie,
Our thoughts and lots of prayers are with you this week (as they have been)--that this stay will go smoothly and Maggie will continue to be her happy self!
Please let us know if there's ever anything we can do!
Elisha and Shawn and the gang
Hi. My name is Stacey Cooley and I am Katie-Belle Cooley's father. We have been following your journey and continue to pray and keep Maggie and you, her parents, in our thoughts. Interestingly enough, we just came home Monday from a 5 day round of VP16/Etoposide and Cytoxin.
The catheder's are rough but a blessing the same as well. Katie-Belle did stop getting them about 3 or 4 hospital rounds ago. Now we simply change the diapers about every 30 minutes due to the high amounts of fluids.
The Cooley's
Greenville, SC
Hello to the Bixler Family....We are Tim, Jodi and Maggie Seevers (relatives of Emily Seevers). We have been following your updates and are praying for your family...especially during these next few days. We pray specifically for peace for you all and that your happy little girl continues to bless your lives with her big, beautiful smiles! Her pictures are precious!
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