Clinic Day 12/27/2010

Ah, well hello second half of DI, will you please be nicer to my little girl than you were in the first half?? It was absolute torture, I need my little girl back, and I would also like for her to start gaining a little bit of weight back, and getting some color back in her cheeks, and perhaps if its not too much to ask a little bit of energy??? She weighs as much as she did when she was 19 months old, and has about as much energy as a 90 year old woman. SCARY! Not to mention how tired and grouchy and unhappy everyone has been in our house for the last 2 weeks. Can we get a break please?

Livi wasnt excited to come to clinic today. She had gotten a 2 week break and it fell right over Christmas break so it was nice to not to have to worry about anything. She didnt get delayed because of low counts which is actually quite common in between these two halfs. We got lucky! Jessi got to come with us today so that was awesome! We had my mom and sister watch all the kids so we could both go.

The one and only smile you will see from this little girl today, it took a lot of tickling....

Here she is getting put to sleep for her LP she is getting done today. She is getting spinal fluid taken out and replaced with Methotrexate (chemotherapy)

What a brave awesome little girl!!!! XOXO

Here we are back upstairs for Livi to get her chemo. She gets a new chemo today that she hasnt had before. It has a side effect of mouth sores (EEEKKK!!) Oh no, I always ask if that is a side effect and if it is i cringe a little bit. Here is the Chemo's Livi is going to have to start getting over the next 2 weeks:

Cyclophamide (Cytoxin): This one they give her through her port. It infuses over 60 minutes. Side effects are; nausea/vomiting, hair loss, low blood counts 1 to 2 weeks after treatment, blood in the urine, metal taste in mouth, hormonal changes (nice), heart damage with high doses.

Cytarabine (or ARA-C): 4 days in a row for 2 weeks. It is a 3-5 minute push. Side effects are; nausea/vomiting/loss of appetite, diarrhea, low blood counts 1 to 3 weeks after treatment, mouth sores, hair loss, abnormal liver function, irritation to the eyes, flu- like symptoms.

Thioguanine (oral chemo): a pill every day for for 2 weeks. Because it is chemo, we are supposed to wear gloves or wash twice after handling. It is a strange feeling to put gloves on just to touch something you are letting your child swallow. The side effects are; nausea, low blood counts, mouth sores, and abnormal liver function.

BLAHH! I also got told today that our insurance is not going to pay for Homehealth care. So Alivia is going to have to be brought up to PCMC 4 days a week for the next 2 weeks for ARA-C. Yeah I am one unhappy mama :( Oh well, you do what you have to do, and if this is DI going out with a bang, then there you go.

Christmas with the Coopers

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year! We have certainly been blessed this holiday season. The kids had the best Christmas ever, not only were they spoiled rotten but we got to spend a lot of time together. With mom not working anymore and dads work cutting his hours back so much we spent most of the season at home. Livi's counts havent been good lately so we didnt want to chance taking her anywhere unless it was a super special occasion. Like seeing santa! We went to the mall during the day so there wouldnt be very many people. Livi was so excited and knew everything she was going to ask for, in fact when we were on our way out the gate, she had to run back to tell him something else....what a goof. Ryker on the other hand would even look at santa! As you can tell by the picture he is a little dazed and not sure at all what to think of this man.....dont worry when he asked what Ryker wanted Livi quickly said to him, "Ryker is shy, but he wants lots of dinosaurs." What a good sister!

Ginger bread houses are a must this holiday season. We usually cook the ginger bread and get all crafty, I was lazy this year and bought the box that has everything inside it. It was a blast. I let the kids each have their own side and had a blast for hours decorating and concentrating so hard.

Christmas day!! We were so excited and anxious for Christmas this year. The kids got so many gifts from so many wonderful people! Neighbors, ward members, even people we didnt even know brought gifts for our children. It is truely amazing how giving people are. They dont even need anything in return. It really makes you realize how many wonderful people there are in this world, I am forever humbled and it has changed the way I look at life. I will always try to do my best to give back and will always try to do my part to help others in need. Thank you so much everyone for making this Christmas a wonderful one for our family!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!