Discontinued again

Once again our routine clinic visit did not go as planned when Eden’s labs once again showed the signs of chemo. Her white blood count was .8 and her neutrophil count was 200. So for the second consecutive month all oral chemos have been discontinued and labs will be rechecked next week. We were very disappointed with the results, but find comfort in that she seems to feel okay, not great but we have witnessed many different demeanors. Eden will once again have a “poke” on Wednesday to determine if her oral chemo can be resumed. My understanding is they will start her at a dose less than the 125% she had been taking. In the meantime we have returned to the solitude of home. Someone asked me what this means and we don’t know . . . we are comforted by knowing God is in control.
Because we have been negligent in updating our blog I thought I would share some randomness
- Eden has a new pet tadpole named “Chicken” thanks to the Horak boys for a great gift
- Eden is terrified of tall buildings and parking ramps . . . they remind her of the clinic and she tells us the clinic is “NO FUN-NO FUN!”
- She loves riding her Strider bike, reading books and anything with her Dad
- She generally runs to greet Dad at the door, this week she has not felt so well and she remained in my lap when Kurt walked in she looked at me and said, “Mom your husband is home”
- She asked me “Mom, will you call the clinic and ask them if I have to come?” I picked up the phone some time later and she said, “Mom, are you calling the clinic?” We are looking forward to days when her thoughts are not consumed with pokes.
- The other evening Eden was getting after me about how I was doing something, I asked her why are you yelling at me Eden, she said “I am just a little crabby today.”
- Seems like she’s always asking if something is “nutritious”.

Thanks for keeping Eden in your prayers.

Comfort of Chemo

On a recent trip to the clinic for chemo Eden asked me, “Mommy why are you sad?” I responded by telling her “I am sad because you have to get chemo.” In the sweetest voice from the back seat, “but Mommy I have to get chemo to get rid of my icky-sicky cancer.” God is so good . . . we have the most amazing little girl that helps us through the days when joy is overshadowed.
Last month Eden’s chemo was increased to 125% of the normal dosage for all her oral meds. With the increase in chemo we noticed more days of lethargic behaviors and more nausea and vomiting. The side effects bring mixed emotions as it is reminder of all the “normal” that cancer has taken away however we are thankful the treatment is successful in conquering the cancer cells.
This last month’s clinic visit did not go as we had planned . . . her blood counts plummeted. Her netrophil count was 340, well below the 1550 – 5500 normal range. For the first time since beginning maintenance last fall chemo was discontinued. The monthly clinic visit that has become our normal left us all with fear and many questions. Eden’s counts were rechecked in a week and indicated they had rebounded. Chemo was restarted at her normal dose of 125% and we all feel a comfort knowing she is receiving her daily chemo.
Thanks for checking in on us.