Chemo Treatment

On Saturday, July 9th Mayleigh received her first 2 doses of chemotherapy. Her first dose was called Vincristine and had many side effects: nausea, vomiting,weight loss, diarrhea, bloating, stomach/abdominal pain or cramps, mouth sores,dizziness, headache, hair loss, constipation, loss of appetite, changes in sense of taste, and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.
You know, the usual stuff that happens when the blow up your insides.
The 2nd dose of chemo was called Daunorubicin and the side effects were similar for the most part.  Both took about 5 minutes to administer using her port and before we knew it her treatment was on it's way throughout her body.

At this point we could tell the prednisone was taking effect. Even after 10 hours it seemed as if things were already working.  It wasn't major but I could see she was either feeling somewhat better and her swelling had gone down. It's crazy how strong prednisone can be but it does have extreme side effects as well. On the negative side her blood sugar level was 197 the previous night and 150 in the morning. She for the first time had to inject 2 units of insulin to compensate. It was sad to know that type 2 diabetes was a possibility and that it could be permanent. Mom is type 1 diabetic and has type 1 and 2 on her side as well as myself so we are all to familiar;  it's always been a fear for her though.

Throughout the day we continued to stay active and take walks as well as played some Scrabble. I definitely like it when she instigates the fun and I'm more than happy to do laps when she wants. It can get quite boring in a small room with no escape but we were finding all kinds of things we can do. They even have a game room with a Wii and a beautiful view of the city. I know it's probably the last thing she would like to be doing with her summer but she's remaining positive in every aspect.

Later that day my brother and his kids stopped by on their way back to Montana. It was awesome to see them even for a short while. It was also great for Mayleigh to be allowed to speak with them as no one under the age of 12 is allowed on the floor. They let her wear a mask and walk out to the elevators since she was just getting chemo for the first time today. His kids are so cute and we were bummed we would only be getting to see them for those 5 or 10 minutes.
Shortly after, my (step)mom and dad stopped by with her cousin Lucas. She again was able to see him and we visited for another 10 minutes near the elevators.

As the day quickly faded to night again, we said our good byes and headed to our hotel which was generously paid for by my mom for the first 2 nights (thank you mom!!!) and RuthEllen Melton for the last night <3. We have been blessed with so many people in our lives who are willing to help us without a second thought. We cannot thank everyone enough for their love and support through text, email and phone calls. It truly is what is getting us through all of this.
At the end of the first day of chemo I had nothing but thanks and appreciation. My baby girl was already showing signs of improvement. She had lots of family stopping by to show her their love. And most of all we were as close as we have ever been. I love you so much sweetiepie!!!

June 28th - 10mg prednisone

July 9th after 1.5 days of 140 mg prednisone