three chemo cycles to go and a case of pneumonia
Carson finished first grade while earning The Ray Of Sunshine Award, turned 7 (but is now claiming 13- Lord help us), got fitted for a VERY cool new device for her leg (which she hates… but we will get there as it has really great potential) and has spent most of her summer so far down at the hospital thanks to pneumonia and some new unique reactions to chemo.
The girls and I spent our first official day of summer at the pool then spent the afternoon at the hospital thanks to a fever for Carson that seemed to pop up out of no where. She was released following a round of antibiotics since her counts were high enough to come home while they waited for blood culture results to come back. Unfortunately, she made it back downtown to the ER the next night, was released, then back in a day and a half later with another fever and scheduled chemo. She broke out into a confusing rash during treatment, given different antibiotics for suspected pneumonia, and then sent home after extended monitoring. She couldn’t catch a break from this fever and landed herself back in the hospital the next day, this time with a room, new antibiotics, a blood transfusion, another chest x-ray, a new inhaler, and a persistent fever.
Thankfully she has hardly spent any time on the inpatient side of the oncology floor so far but handled the extended stay like a champ and we have fallen in love with the nursing team there. She was released after a few days then was admitted a day and a half later following her Monday chemo thanks to another rash and an episode that required oxygen. Her doctors suspect some of these new reactions could be due to the virus she’s been fighting and have some new plans in place for her next chemo cycle but still have some questions. She now has these two weeks off of treatment before the next cycle starts, which will hopefully give her body some time to heal and recover.
Please join with us in praying for her body to recover, for her body to be able to handle the remaining treatments (only 3 more cycles of 4 weeks of chemo /2 off remaining!!), and for wisdom for her doctors and nurses as we face this next treatment. It’s a lot to process as these past few weeks have been scary and emotionally and physically exhausting. It’s hard not to worry about how she will react to her next treatment. We are humbled with the reality that she is immunocompromised and what that means for decisions we make as a family, things we can and shouldn’t do, and how to not become overcome with fear of another hospital stay when one of us gets something as simple as a runny nose.
Please also pray for Carson and Sullivan as their little minds and hearts navigate this “normal” life for us… Cam and I continue to try to figure out how to parent vivacious 7 and 4 year olds…one with a brain tumor and another being the sibling of a sister with current intense medical needs. I have a lot to learn in the realm of giving myself grace, asking for grace from others, and learning what grace that comes from the Lord looks and feels like. It’s quite the journey and one that seems to get more complicated the longer it goes on.
However- after all of that- We were able to escape for a night to a local hotel as a birthday treat for the girls and had an awesome time together. It was such a treat and so fun to feel normal for a minute!
Thank you for the continued support, prayers, and love for our girl and family. Carson’s next MRI is set for the end of August. She has a few more wiggly teeth, so maybe this MRI will bring another visit from the tooth fairy (😉) and good news of tumor size.
💜🦄
