Chemo Round 1

Thank you so much for all the calls, texts, prayers and good thoughts. You are literally carrying us through these very long days. Madeline just finished day #3 of chemo - two more days to go. She is feeling horrible and the doctors are scrambling to try something new so the nausea is at least somewhat manageable. As of now, they have just been able to pretty much give her meds to keep her asleep and at least if she's resting she is not miserable.

Once we get to go home, these drugs are supposed to really knock her out and they've already warned us to expect to be back here a few more times as her immune system will be so weak. She will have a few weeks (2 to 4 weeks) to rest, depending on her counts.  Then she will have another five days of in-patient chemo and another few weeks to rest. Once her body is recovered, she will have surgery to remove the tumor on her tibia, and depending on the necrosis rate (how dead the tumor is) will determine how many more rounds of the five-day chemo she will have to endure. They are hoping for two rounds, but most people can only handle one more.

She is still having some significant pain in her leg when she stands up - we are hoping that will subside soon, and she's already not wanting to eat or drink, although she did eat most of the Starbuck's banana bread I brought her this morning, so that is some good news.

We really don't need anything. My mom is at the house taking care of Oliver and "supervising" Ben.
Please pray that the doctors can get her nausea under control, that she can rest, that she can go home as soon as possible, and that once we are home, we can stay at home. I have some legitimate concerns about coordinated care and our health care system, so pray for efficient and effective care.

I have a few messages about t-shirts, bracelets, meals, etc and honestly, I just don't know right now. We do appreciate the love and support and we promise to ask for help if and when we need it. For now, please just pray she can endure this treatment. You know it is BAD when she doesn't even look at her phone for hours...

Oh, and if you plan to visit our home or the hospital, please make sure you have had your flu shot.

GO ARMY, beat navy!!