So Katlyn was admitted into the hospital last night, and this morning we started her Chemotherapy and immune suppressant. She is getting reduced intesity chemotherapy (CGD protocol) and her schedule is to recieve Fludararbine (chemo) and Campath (immune suppresant) for the first three days. On saturday and sunday she will recieve Fludararbine and Busulfan (chemo). And then on monday she will get Fludararbine and no other types. On July 29 & 30 (donor harvest day) Katlyn will have a break from the chemo drugs, and then on July 31 Katlyn will have her bone marrow transplant.
Today started off pretty unevenful with her dose of chemo, but with the Campath Katlyn started to complain that she had a headache and that her chest was hurting when she breathed. It was awful. We were trying so hard to calm her down but on top of not feeling well, I think her anxiety was making things worse. We gave her some Tyelnol, benadryl and oxygen which did help a bit, and then Respitory therapy ended up having to come and giving her some ventalin. While she was focused on taking the inhaler, I grabbed a couple of cards for her to open. It worked perfectly to calm her down as she ready all the kind and beautiful words.
I cannot even put into words how meaningful these cards have been for Katlyn today. I can tell that she is so stressed out and they really make her smile and giggle as she reads them. Thank you to everyone who has been so thoughtful to send cards to her already and to those who continue to.
The nurses at the hospital are amazing! They are so knowledgeable about how to care for Katlyn, which take a lot of stress away from the whole ordeal. Sure we have been living our whole lives with Katlyn being immune compromised, but this is different. She will have nothing, and with be so compromised. There are so many things we need to do to keep her safe. Like for instance; when we bring in her meal, she has an hour to finish it. Same goes with water. If I let her drink from the bottle of water, then she will have 1 hour with that bottle and then I chuck it. If I pour her water into a glass, then the bottle of water will be good for 24 hours, and the glass for 1. There is so much to remember, even for us.
I really must get some sleep now though. Its my night at the Ronald Mcdonald house and lack of sleep is really compounding the problem. I have found myself on the brink of a major cry all day. I hope and pray for an uneventful smooth day tomorrow. I'm hoping Katlyn continues to eat well and feel great. I hope for a day of giggles and lots of crafts.
