6.21.11

No big news today. Meri slept fine last night and had a pretty normal day today. A little more tired, maybe, but nothing significant.

She had to go back to Childrens to get a shot - I am not sure what the medicine is but it is something to keep her immune system high, I believe. (I'll update when I get more info). She will get one of those shots after every 8-hour chemo session.

FAQ

Just some quick info about this blog:

Who is writing this blog?

Mostly Lori, Allison's sister. But Allison or others may be contributing in the future too.

Why are you writing this blog?

So many caring people want to be informed about how Meri is doing. It's easier to spread a blog around than tell to share the info in any other way.

What can we do to help?

Thank you for wanting to help - You are awesome and wonderful! We are working on putting together a website for help. We actually already have it set up but we need to populate it with opportunities. If there is something you already know you want to do, and you need info to finish the job (address, suggestions as to times to drop things off, etc.) just email me: loriwelty AT gmail DOT com.

Feel free to use that email address for any other questions about Meri, etc. I will do my best to get you answers to your questions!

6.20.11

Day One of Chemo is done! Despite last Thursday's traumatic port experience, this time went smoother. The day was generally non-eventful and even pleasant despite the fact that they were confined to the hospital with Meri hooked up to an IV for EIGHT hours. She got to roam around much of the day, playing in the playroom, zooming around on hot-wheels and coloring in a coloring book.

They gave her anti-nausea medicines during the day and sent them home with them as well. By the end of the day, Meri was exhausted and starting to complain about her tummy hurting. :( When I last spoke to Allison, Meri was asleep, and we are keeping fingers crossed that she has a restful night.

The doctors told Alli that the peak sickness for this particular chemo (the 8 hour sessions) is 10-14 days after infusion. I am hoping that means just a lot of sleepiness for Meri and not a lot of nausea.

6.17.11

Last night was a tough one. Meri had been feeling icky off and on during the day - headachey, mostly. Early evening, she was in a lot of pain, complaining of sore legs and a stomache ache, and she was running a fever. Off to the Children's hospital ER for the night... They got to put her new "port" into use, drawing blood for bloodwork. Meri did not like it AT ALL, but hopefully it was more scary than painful. The bloodwork all came back clear (phew!) but it leaves her pain a mystery still. She's been through a lot this week with all of the testing, so the working theory is that it took a lot out of her and her body is reacting to that.

She felt better today, though still not 100%. Hopefully this weekend she'll be feeling better and better so she can enjoy some beautiful weather and Father's day. :)

Monday chemo starts - and based on how much she disliked the port being used, we are concerned about how that will go. Hopefully (there's a lot of "hopefully" right now) it will be less scary this time, and she'll get used to it quickly so at least that part of the process isn't traumatic.

6.16.11

Today we got the details of Meri's chemotherapy treatment plan. She will begin on Monday. She will have the V-A-C chemo treatment which is a combination of 3 different chemo drugs. She will have chemo every Monday (mostly - there are little changes here and there). Every 3rd week, chemo will be LONG - 8 hours! - because the chemo drug needs to be introduced and followed with saline solution. The other weeks, it will be 1 hour of chemo. So this week is an 8 hour session, then the next week is 1 hour, 1 hour, then 8 hours, etc.

The doctor said she will start feeling nauseous about 4 hours or so after treatment and may feel sick for a day or 2. They are giving her 2 anti-nausea medications so hopefully that will help. The doctor said some kids don't feel sick, so we'll have to wait and see, and keep fingers crossed.

Every 15 weeks Meri will have scans to see how things are going, and make sure everything is progressing as planned.

6.15.11

Tomorrow it's a trip to CHD to learn more about the chemotherapy regimen Meri will be starting on Monday. Right now there are a lot of unknowns - how the chemo sessions will go, how she will feel afterwards, etc. Tomorrow we'll have some answers but I am sure some will be a "wait and see" to see how it goes.

On Monday, June 7, Meri was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. After a month or so of a stuffy nose, she woke up with a black eye and it was clear something was wrong. A catscan and surgery followed. She had a tumor growing in her sinuses and nasal cavity.

Since that day, she has undergone more testing (MRI, petscan, catscan, bonescan, bone marrow biopsy, spinal tap). We have learned that the cancer has not spread. It is considered Stage II (not Stage I only because of it's location).

She is an amazing kid - she bounces back after each procedure amazingly well. She is incredibly strong, dynamic, smart and resilient, and we know that she is going to get through this stronger than ever.

This blog is intended to keep family and friends up to date on the latest information and also keep people informed about how they might be able to help and support their family.