Smooth

Everything is going smoothly so far (knock on wood!!)  She was admitted in the early afternoon.  It is so much better knowing what to expect when we arrive; we had everything we needed, knew what to ask for and felt much more organized and calm.  Hydration began as soon as we got here and ran for a little over 6 hours.  Because the chemo is very hard on her kidneys, they flood her system before, during and after.  We have to record everything she eats, and save all her diapers to be weighed in order to make sure her kidneys are processing fluids properly. 

Around 9pm, chemo began.  This medicine (Methotrexate) runs in a concentrated high dose for one hour, then the remainder over the following 23 hours.  She gets nausea medication just in case, but this does not seem to make her feel sick.  We are watching carefully for any signs of skin irritation, since that was a problem last time.  We took a few precautions this time to help ease it - trimmed all the adhesives to have minimal contact with her skin, used a protectant under the adhesive, used a padded name band and started the barrier cream on her bottom early.  Hopefully she comes out a little less red this time.  We change her diaper every hour or two (the nurses are a great help with this over night!) to protect her skin from the residual chemo and excess moisture.

We will be here at least a few days.  This chemo must be fully flushed from her system before she is discharged.  This is measured by blood tests every 12 hours after the chemo stops, as well as by urine samples (collected with cotton balls in her diapers).  We are already planning her admission next week.

Thank you Shannon and my little friend Patrick for their dinner delivery to the hospital.  The strawberries were SO delicious!  WAY better than cafeteria food.