Last pill for Delayed Intensification

I feel like singing at the top of my lungs Hallelujah! It's been a long rough phase of chemo for Presley. We are so glad to see this phase end. It's late as we are having port issues again. Ugh. The home health nurse got about 3/4 of does of TPA (anticoagulant) in her port to see if it can't brake up a blood clot that might be causing the issues. We all finally decided to de-access and re-access again. Poor Presley. Her skin is so sensitive. Her little port is so tender from all the accessing and de-accessing. Tonight's port access was no fun. We could not wait to put the EMLA (numbing cream) as it take at least 30 minutes to work. We needed to get her port to flush and rule out if the port was being positional. Sure enough when we took the port out the needle it was bent so the fluids could not pass through. Huge sigh of relief for everyone. Otherwise we would have been at clinic the next day getting x-rays trying to figure out the next steps of why the port wouldn't flush.  I should sit down and think of all the clinic visits we have had in the past 2-3 weeks, each port access (at least 15), all the phone calls to clinic and to the on call oncologist. My head is spinning. We are all going to be so glad when we get a little bit of a break. I really do not know what I would do without Paul home. I know he'd rather be at work providing for us, but having him home has been such a blessing in all of our lives. I've teased him for the last 3.5 years that he didn't understand what it was like to be mother, I know that he knows the daily struggles and tasks a mother takes on and has much more sympathy for not only me but other moms. He would have basically needed the last 2 weeks off to be with Crew. When the doctors told us this was going to be the hardest 6-9 months of your life, they were not lying. We try to smile, stay positive and laugh. I often look at all the pictures and reflect on the blog posts, life is really not what is portrayed on this blog. Her numbers have been too low so we have to stay home. We need a change of scenery. With tonight being her last chemo pill of this phase. We will just need her ANC to recover from all this chemo. Her poor body has been hit so hard. She is strong, brave little girl. She still smiles, plays, rides her bike better than kids who don't have cancer, and never feels sorry for herself. At the beginning it was just her with dark circles under her eyes, now we all have them. I don't know how we are all surviving on such little sleep. So we will get a little bit of a break before we start the next phase. A week or so, but it really won't feel like a break until she is off her IV antibiotic. Being the nurse, advocate, mother, maid...its a tough task. Then trying to make sure Crew is getting what he needs emotionally. Having two young kids is hard enough without leukemia. Blood work every Monday and Thursday until her ANC of 500! The next phase is called Intermittent Maintenance 2- This phase is like the IM 1! We are glad we are back to a chemo we are use to and know the symptoms we will have to deal with but know she will be going into the phase a little more tired that usual. Fight hard little girl, don't let the chemo get you down. Auntie Lou was here this weekend. So thankful for her help! Grandma is coming tomorrow. We need the help with cooking, cleaning, and just daily tasks. With two parents at home and we still can't keep up but sure are giving it our all. After all, it is our sweet princess we're ultimately fighting for.
GOODBYE and GOOD RIDDANCE  Red devil, cytoxin, ara-c, 6-TG, STEROIDS these are just a few of the nasty chemo's. WE will not miss you and hope we will NEVER meet again.

Last Chemo pill for DI! It was a big moment!

TPA..an attempt to get Presley port to flush.