10.18.2008

Feeling Fine

This morning I was getting Mollie some Cheerios (if she doesn't eat first thing her stomach gets upset) and she said, "When Daddy wakes up, will you ask him if we can go jogging together?"

This is the child who got out of the hospital yesterday afternoon. So they went. I am not sure how much she ran, but she is tired out now and taking a nap in her room.

She wore her new Nikes (just like Daddy's shoes) that Paul sent last week!

10.17.2008

We're out

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Mollie was discharged this morning. She is still neutropenic, so we will keep things low-key until we go into clinic on Tuesday. Mollie didn't want to leave and was dragging her feet while I was trying to hurry her out of there! We brought home 6 cartons of chocolate milk from the hospital and I had to promise to do arts and crafts later today (at home).

Sally and Katie are off to the airport and Matt is on his way back from NC. I am hoping we can carve out a nice naptime this afternoon.

I am anxious to talk with oncologists next week and see what the plan is for the continuation of treatment.

10.16.2008

Still here

Mollie is still in the hospital. Her ANC is up a bit, but she is still neutropenic and still has a cough. Her moods are up and down, mostly as a result of her being stuck in here. One of her favorite nurses (Holly) is here tonight and the Child Life team has been really great. Oh, and the unlimited supply of chocolate milk makes Mollie really happy. So, she's hanging in there.

I am so thankful Sally and Katie are here! They have been very helpful and it always makes things easier emotionally to have someone else to talk to. Today we had a fancy teaparty in Mollie's hospital room, complete with lace tablecloth, monogramed napkins, and a selection of delectable cookies. I'm sad that they are leaving tomorrow and that we won't be able to make it to my grandpa's memorial. The nurse will draw labs in the morning- hopefully Mollie's counts will continue to increase and we can get out of here soon!!

In other news, I had portraits of the girls shot at our house last Sunday and the photographer posted some of them on her blog. I am really happy with how these turned out and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest. We had to cancel several times because of weather and illness and it started raining just a couple hours after she shot these pictures!

10.14.2008

Okay, so we're going to be here for a while

Mollie's ANC is 190. This means she is severely neutropenic and very susceptible to infection. A normal ANC value is above 1500, so she is really low. She will be admitted and administered an antibiotic.

"Plans" really do change quickly around here.

In the hospital

Bleh. Bleh. Bleh. Bleh. Bleh.

Mollie spiked a fever this evening, landing her in the hospital. We are waiting on labs and hoping to be able to go home (but we'll probably end up admitted). She has had a lingering cold, and with starting school again last week, this was probably inevitable. So please keep your fingers crossed. We are planning to travel for my grandfather's memorial in a few days and we really want us all to be able to attend.

The hardest part tonight was that the nurses (all three of them) had a very difficult time getting Mollie's port to work. This is the venous access port that is implanted under the skin of her chest and connected to her jugular vein. After every access, it is supposed to be packed with heparin to keep it from clotting, but we are not sure if they did it last week because they de-accessed her in the OR after her spinal tap.

Tonight, the nurses kept moving her arms in all different positions and they couldn't get it to draw back or flush. It might have been clogged. On the 4th try they got it (thank goodness!!) and were able to send the blood off for analysis. Mollie yelled a few times but mostly coped in her usual way by saying, "Bleh. Bleh. Bleh. Bleh. Bleh." And sticking out her tongue and squeezing my hands.

Reminders to self:
1) Always have the nurse access her port while she is sitting up.
2) Next time we are in clinic, ask what size needle to use and WRITE IT DOWN.
3) Double check that her port is packed with heparin after each de-access (esp. if we are not there when it is de-accessed).