Category: Serenity

Scare

Today was a long, emotional day for me. The short version is that her blood draw last night showed some abnormalities and there was some question as to whether the cancer cells were back. After several more tests and several hours of waiting (and I cannot even begin to describe how hard those hours were), the dr concluded that she is probably ok and her bone marrow is just doing some funny things as a result of the chemo combined with a probable virus.

It came as a huge relief, but I still have some concerns because her ANC is still only 100 after 5 days of round the clock antibiotics. We will be doing blood draws twice a week until her ANC is above 500.

Here’s how it all happened:

Oct 1 – Serenity had a routine clinic visit for her intravenous vincristine. When we got the results of her blood draw, her ANC was quite low – only 400. (Anything under 500 is considered neutropenic.) We were told to hold her chemo (oral chemo, not the dose she’s just received) for 2 weeks and then her blood would be re-drawn and her ANC hopefully high enough to resume chemo. So although I was a bit worried that her counts were low, I thought it would be a nice break for her system from the chemo.

Oct 7 – Home Health nurse comes to take Serenity’s vital signs. No blood draw but everything else is good.

Oct 8 – Serenity wakes looking sick, with a fever, but it quickly disappears on its own and she is back to normal.

Oct 9 – Serenity wakes looking sick. Her fever of 101 degrees lasts for 2 hours, then I call the clinic. (I am supposed to call at one hour but things were crazy getting the other kids out the door for school, so it didn’t happen.) The oncology nurse wants me to take her to the nearest ER saying kids with a fever can get really sick, really fast. We compromise by me agreeing to phone the clinic when I get to American Fork after dropping the twins off with my mother in law. Her fever is 100 degrees by that time and she looks fine, but the clinic wants me to bring her in. Her ANC is only 100, and after some IV antibiotics and some discussion she is admitted to the Immune Compromised ward.

Oct 10 – Her ANC is up to 200.

Oct 11 – Her ANC is back down to 100, but no fever for 24 hours and she looks great. She is bouncing on the bed and asking to go home. We are discharged, which I had mixed feelings about. I was ready to be home, but several kids at home have sore throats and I am worried about her low ANC.

Oct 12 – Home Health is back again, to do a blood draw. Her vitals are good and she is feeling alright, although she is particularly cross today and throw several MAJOR tantrums, which is unlike her. Her ANC is back up to 400, but the clinic wants to see her tomorrow for another blood draw.

at clinic

Saturday

Serenity awoke today looking and feeling much better. Her ANC is now 200. Not great, but an upward trend is good. She hasn’t had a fever since yesterday afternoon so if all holds, we will be going home tomorrow.

Her lips look a little funky to me – some sort of rash maybe – but overall she feels good. She’s been an adorable bundle of energy today, which makes being confined to a hospital room even harder.

She is still coughing a little so this morning the nurses did a VRP test – suctioning some nasal secretions with a tube up her nose. Not fun, but I’m glad it’s over with. At least 5 children on our floor are being tested for influenza.

Your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes are always appreciated!

Sleep at last.

Finally Serenity is asleep! I thought this moment would never come. She alternates between feeling fine and being bored in her hospital room and looking sick. She’s been fever free for most of the day but she did spike a low grade fever at one point. Her cough comes and goes. It will be interesting to see what the morning brings since she has been sicker in the mornings the past few days.

I hope that the antibiotics they are giving her kick in and that she’s feeling better quickly and that we can go home. But I am glad we are here because I’d be worried about her every minute at home and wondering if she was about to take a turn for the worst.

Originally the clinic did not want me to make the 1 1/2 hour drive to the hospital when I called about her fever. With an ANC under 500 the nurse said kids can get very sick very fast. But I pushed to come up here, because if we’re going to be inpatient with low ANC I want to be on the immune compromised ward.

Because she feels alright much of the time, Serenity doesn’t understand why we can’t just go home. She keeps asking to leave, and was determined not to fall asleep here at the hospital. I’ve made up my mind that I need to pack another hospital bag that is always ready, and loaded with fun things to do when we’re stuck in a hospital room.

Inpatient.

Well, the clinic decided to admit Serenity once we got up here. Her fever stayed at 101 for 2 hours, but dropped to 100 on the drive. It’s gone down to 99 since, but when they did a CBC her ANC had dropped to 100. ANC is a measurement of her immunity, so when it’s below 500 she is at risk for infection.

This means that even though she doesn’t appear to be very sick, it’s safest to keep her here for a day or two for observation. Since we’ve been here she has developed a little bit of a cough, so there is some speculation that it could be the flu. The nurse said that the resident will probably want to stick the suction tube up her nose to collect a sample to test for the flu. It is NOT a pleasant experience, so I am desperately hoping that Serenity won’t have to undergo it.

On the upside, I have plenty of time now to finish my novel. 😉