1) Port access
2) a blood draw
3) Vincristine (Chemo)
AND A PARTY!!!!
Thankfully everything went smoothly today. Katie's port worked like a charm for her LAST PORT ACCESS! They quickly accessed her port and took a blood draw and then we were back in the infusion room for some FUN! Yes, I said "FUN" in the infusion room. We had planned to have pizza delivered at 11:30am for the clinic staff and anyone else that happened to be around. When we got back to the infusion room after having her port accesses, there were tables set up with a princess table cloth, princess plates and princess cups...it couldn't have been more perfect for my little princess!!!
Katie settled into a project with "fun" Kris and we talked with anyone who came by :-)
Nurse Practitioner, Chris, examined Katie...all looks (and feels) good!
She also had a visit with the surgeon who will be removing her port. He looked at the cyst on Katie's neck and decided to have a conversation with the dermatologist before determining if they needed to remove it. A quick discussion with the dermatologist and they decided not to do anything with it, but to see if it heals on it's own. It has gone down significantly since the biopsy and I am hopeful that it will go away on it's own. They also set the date for her port removal.
Her port will be coming out on Tuesday, October 26th.
Today is a VERY happy day for our family. I was asked a couple of times if I had ever imagined that this day would come. My answer was , "Yes. I imagined this day would come because there was no other option. I wouldn't allow myself to think about any other outcome, but a big party at her last clinic visit!"
The clinic nurses got Katie a princess dress for her last clinic visit and her Make a Wish trip coming up next week.
I know I have said it before, but I can't say it enough. The Pediatric Oncology staff at UMass is phenomenal. The joy on their faces and the tears in their eyes are real. I remembering being told at the beginning of this journey that this staff would become like our extended family and I didn't want to believe it. In fact, I was adamant that there was no F'in way they would become family. (I had a lot of anger at the beginning). But, they have in fact become part of our family and I feel blessed to know them. They are not just good at their jobs, they are all around good people and we love them.
Katie's main nurses Joan & Helen... the clinic would not function without the two of them. We are truly grateful for the loving care that they have given to Katie & us. Not only were they administering chemo to our daughter, but also love, strength & hope to Mike & I. There is absolutely no way to thank them for everything that they have done for us.
Katie plays, jokes and laughs through her last chemo treatment...
This is not a picture you see everyday...this kid was making everyone laugh hysterically while she was receiving her chemo...Katie, YOU ARE ONE AMAZING LITTLE GIRL!!!
This cycle will consist of the following:
Vincristine - Day 1 (same dose as previous cycles)
Methotrexate (oral at home chemo) - Days 1, 8 & 15 (same dose as the last cycle)
6-mercapturine (oral at home chemo) - Days 1-14 (same dose as the last cycle)
Dexamethasone (oral at home steroid)- Days 1-5 (same dose as the last cycle)
From this point on, Kaitlyn will have to go to the clinic once a month for a blood draw.
Next planned clinic visit will be Friday, November 12th.
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