Unexpected Clinic Visit Today

Kaitlyn has been SO tired lately and she has been asking to be carried everywhere because her body is so achy. Today, she didn't have any steroids and man did she crash. Her cheeks were bright red and she looked feverish. We took her temp and it was normal, but Mike noticed that her breathing was really deep. She wasn't gasping for air, but just deep breathing. We called the nurse practitioner who instructed us to bring her into the clinic for some blood tests because she may have become anemic. So, off we went to the clinic...

Once there, the nurse practitioner checked her breathing and her heart rate and assured us that there was nothing go on with her heart. Dr. Keuker also came in to check on Katie. He also assured us that it was either anemia or a result of her coming off the steroids. After they took her blood, we came home because even if she needed a blood transfusion, they wouldn't have been able to do it until tomorrow because it was so late in the day. So, we came home with the understanding that the nurse practitioner would call us with the results from her blood test.

When we got home, there was already a message on the machine letting us know that Kaitlyn's blood counts all came back normal and that her deep breathing and red, puffy cheeks were due to her coming off the steroids and not something to do with the new chemo they gave her last Thursday, Doxorubicin.

Since we have been home from the clinic, she has been pretty lethargic, laying around and sleepy. At 7:30pm she asked to go to bed. Poor kid, she is SO TIRED.

I have also realized that this round of steroids HAS brought a favorite food craze - she has been hooked on Mac n' Cheese over the past 3 days or so. Mac n' Cheese Crackers, plain Mac n' Cheese and sometimes just cheese!!! lol