Treatment Day 4 (Stress!)

Today is day 4 of Sinatra’s Induction treatment plan and she will be receiving chemo. The chemo drug that Sinatra will receive today is called Pegasparagase. The nurses and Dr’s took some time last night and today to discuss this drug with us because it is a very intense chemo therapy drug.  We learned that this drug can have some extreme allergic reactions in some patients ranging from hives or itchiness to anaphylactic shock.  The nurse even mentioned that she has seen many different forms of allergic reaction including the anaphylactic shock which is very scary.  They informed us that during this chemo session our nurse will stay in the room for the entire 1-1.5 hours of the treatment and check Sinatra’s vitals every 15 minutes. Sinatra will also be hooked up to a monitor that will watch her blood pressure, oxygen levels, pulse and breathing rate.

Treatment started at 12:30 pm and Sinatra was very tired since this is her normal nap time. She had already fallen asleep in Jenn’s arms while we were hooking her up to the monitors. As the treatment started we all watched her very closely for any slight change in appearance or attitude. We were surprised that the only change in attitude was Sinatra laughing and playing around during the entire treatment. It was almost like she was having fun watching all of us sweat.

After the treatment Sinatra got to take a long nap followed by a trip to the play room. 

Earlier in the day Sinatra got a visit from the physical therapist to make sure that she wasn’t falling behind in her development because of the pain caused from the leukemia (leukemia can be very painful and cause sore bones and joints due to the packed leukemia cells in the bone).  She got to play with Sinatra for a bit on the play mat in our room and thought Sinatra was doing great.  After the physical therapist left Sinatra was walking the hallways of the 5^th floor and even pushed a wagon around the floor. This was such a great step!

Today we also had a few pleasant surprises at the hospital. Early in the afternoon we had a family stop by with a shopping cart of toys that they were handing out to all of the kids on the floor.  They mentioned that their son, who was no more than 10 years old, had been diagnosed for leukemia and was treated at CHOC for 3 years ago.  It was refreshing seeing a young child that had gone through this living a completely normal and healthy life. It definitely keeps us positive. We love CHOC and couldn't be more grateful that our baby is getting her care here.

We also had a patient’s family bring in homemade tamales for everyone on the floor for Christmas Eve dinner. The giving season is clearly here and we even received some special packages at home from an anonymous gifter. It a Christmas Eve we will never forget.

Santa won't be coming to the Cornelius household tonight but will make a visit once we are all back home together.