WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER
14, 2011 Wishes do come true!
We received a phone call today from Cherished Creations and
they arranged for 5 Club Level tickets to go to the Ravens game on Christmas
Eve for our family! They are also
working on a meet and greet with some of the players! This is truly a wish come true for
Laura. She is SO happy and we are so
happy for her.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13,
2011 Good News
Laura had her PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter)
line discontinued today at clinic!
Starting tomorrow she can take showers or baths without having to worry
about her IV line getting wet. For me,
no more flushing her IV ports twice a day with heparin.
Laura's nurse practitioner, Nancy, commented today how well
Laura has done post transplant. She said
its rare to be able to remove her IV access before 90 days post
transplant. That being said she wants
her to still be very careful about not exposing herself to people who aren't
well. No hugs and kisses from relatives
over the holidays and no hand shaking unless she is wearing gloves. Laura is willing to abide by the rules so she
can continue to do well. We have the day
off tomorrow from appointments and are planning on going to the movies! What a joy it is to share this good news with
all of you. Thank you again for your
prayers.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12,
2011 Lots of News!
So much has been happening since the last journal
update. Laura celebrated her 22nd
birthday on November 29th. We had the
local family over for dinner and Laura chose to have a Chicken Chesapeake wrap
from Bill Batemans- yum. The rest of us
enjoyed a homemade meal of marinated pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and
szechuan green beans with rolls. Laura
got so many nice gifts; a ring with a pretty purple stone, a Ravens jersey( #92
Ngata), a Ravens sweatshirt, a Ravens santa hat, a Ravens doorhanger, and a
Ravens charm bracelet is on its way! She
is clearly a Ravens fan.
Laura has been going to the clinic 2 days a week and has
been seeing one of the transplant doctors.
She was given the okay to go church, to go to her Aunt Laura's for a
Glaudemans Christmas get together, and to go to a movie on a weekday for a
matinee! This is great news for all of
us. Yesterday Laura went to church for
the first time since her hospitalization and Tim's girlfriend, Sarah, joined us
as well. We topped of a good day by
watching the Ravens win against the Colts.
I have been in touch with Cherished Creations regarding
Laura's wish and they are working on making something happen. Laura's physical therapist has also been
working on something for Laura and it looks like we are going to tour the
Ravens training camp in Owings Mills next week!
I am so touched by all the people in our lives who want to help make
Laura's wishes come true. She has been
through so much and she has a lot ahead of her.
I'm happy for this time of year to give her some nice holiday outings to
look forward to. There are some
additional pictures on the site and I will try to add some more soon.
Please continue to keep Laura in your prayers. She is doing beautifully post transplant but
she is tackling a very bad disease. God
bless each and everyone of you.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER
26, 2011 Thankful
We have a lot to be thankful for this thanksgiving. We are thankful for all of our friends and
family that have supported us in prayer, with cards of encouragement, with
meals, with visits and with monetary gifts.
We are thankful for Laura's recovery from her bone marrow transplant and
for Emily being a perfect match and donating her marrow. This week Laura only had to go to clinic once
and she was drinking well enough that her IV fluids were stopped! Yeah!
Now Laura doesn't wake up to the sound of a IV pump beeping at 7:30 in
the morning and now we have more room in our refrigerator, since the bottom
shelf of the frig had been filled with a weeks worth of 1 liter IV fluid
bags. Soon there won't be a need for
Laura's PICC line anymore. Laura's next goal will be to have her PICC line in
her left arm removed.
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER
26, 2011 Thankful
We have a lot to be thankful for this thanksgiving. We are thankful for all of our friends and
family that have supported us in prayer, with cards of encouragement, with
meals, with visits and with monetary gifts.
We are thankful for Laura's recovery from her bone marrow transplant and
for Emily being a perfect match and donating her marrow. This week Laura only had to go to clinic once
and she was drinking well enough that her IV fluids were stopped! Yeah!
Now Laura doesn't wake up to the sound of a IV pump beeping at 7:30 in
the morning and now we have more room in our refrigerator, since the bottom
shelf of the frig had been filled with a weeks worth of 1 liter IV fluid
bags. Soon there won't be a need for
Laura's PICC line anymore. Laura's next goal will be to have her PICC line in
her left arm removed.
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER
16, 2011 Day +61
It"s hard to believe that Laura is 61 days post
transplant. Today was a busy day. In the morning I took Emily for a follow up
appointment at Hopkins, came home and picked up Laura and took her to a
appointment at Kennedy Krieger with her neurologist. Laura and I got home around 4pm.
I have some prayer requests.. My dad is having back surgery tomorrow
morning at 9am and I would appreciate your prayers for him that everything will
go smoothly and he will be relieved of his pain. My other request is for a mom and her 10 year
old son that I met when Laura was an inpatient at Hopkins. He had surgery today to remove one of his
kidneys that had a tumor on it. Please
pray that they got all of his cancer and for a smooth recovery. Thank you for all your prayers!
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12,
2011 Weekly Update
What a great game last Sunday! Next, we are all looking
forward to a good game tomorrow afternoon against the Seattle Seahawks.
I'm happy to report that Laura was able to have her IV
fluids decreased to 1/2 liter at night!
She continues to drink at least 5 cups of fluids a day and is eating
well.
This week I filled out an application for Laura to have a
wish granted from an organization called Cherished Creations. I have given the paperwork to the social
worker and physician to fill out their forms.
We are excited to see what happens.
Her wish is to attend a Ravens game in a box and meet the players. This is really the only way that Laura would
be allowed to see a game since she is to avoid crowds due to her immune status. This would be such a wonderful experience for
her. I hope they can fulfill her
wish. Many organizations have a age
restriction of under 18 but this one fills wishes through 21 and she will turn
22 on November 29th! I'll keep you
posted.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6,
2011 Weekly Update
Laura got her clinic visits decreased to twice a week! Now she has appointments on Mondays and
Thursdays and continues to have PT and OT twice a week at home. Our next goal is to have her IV fluids
decreased to 1/2 liter at night instead of 1 liter. She has been working at drinking more fluids
this weekend. On Wednesday she has an
appointment in the Wilmer Eye Clinic as a follow up.
It's been a nice weekend.
Emily stopped by today and brought Laura a crab cake from Razorbacks for
lunch. Now we are all sitting in Laura's
room watching the Ravens game. Go
Ravens!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30,
2011 Weekly Update
Laura has been going to Hopkins Outpatient Clinic 3 days a
week and last week her Physician Assistant said she might decrease her visits
to 2 days a week if everything continues the way it has been going! This would be great.
Both Laura and Emily were touched by a nice surprise that
arrived the other day - the beautiful sarongs from the island of Mauritius sent
by Uncle Jon and Aunt Jen.
Since Laura can't be in restaurants or out in crowds
socializing until later in her recovery, we have been having some family over
for dinner. We enjoyed my parents, my
brother-Tom, Tim and Sarah and Emily over for dinner. Thanks to my parents for treating us to Pei
Wei and to Tom for treating Laura to Chipotle.
After day 100, Laura won't have to be within a 20 minute drive to
Hopkins! I calculated that day 100
happens to be Christmas day! That is a
great present! We were told that we
could go to Ocean City for a weekend after Christmas provided we know what
hospital we would take her to if necessary.
After much thought and prayer, I decided, with Paul's
support, that it would be best for me to take a leave of absence from my job at
the hospital. Laura has told me numerous
times how she is so glad I can be with her during this time. I have a sense of peace that I am where I am
supposed to be. Again, I want to thank
all of you for your prayers as we seek God's wisdom in making the best
decisions for Laura and for our family.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011
Great News!!!!!!!!!!!
I just got a phone call from Laura's physician assistant
that the blood work result was back on the T-Cell Engraftment that was drawn on
Monday. "There is no evidence of
Laura's DNA and 100% of Emily's DNA."
The Bone Marrow Transplant was a complete success. You can't get any better than 100%
engraftment! Thank you God and thank you
to all of you who have been praying and sending positive thoughts! This is reason to celebrate and praise
God. Have a wonderful weekend.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011 Day +35
Laura is doing well.
She has her blood drawn through her PICC line three times a week at her
clinic visit. Her ANC today was
1760! She is actually in the normal
range now for the first time since her transplant! Nancy, the physician
assistant that Laura sees, told her that she is one of her prized
patients. She also told her not to get
too puffed up, she needs to keep up the good work. Looking forward to our second weekend being
home and to a great game on Monday night!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14,
2011 Day+27
Today Laura had her 2nd clinic visit and we got some good
news. The nurse practitioner
discontinued her TPN because Laura has been eating well and ordered just IV
fluids to run over 10 hours at night.
This is good progress. This
afternoon Chick-Fill-A was having a free luncheon for patients and their
families so Laura and I had a chicken sandwich for lunch while we were
there. Last night was the first night in
over a month that Laura and I each slept in our own beds at night. We both woke up rested. I am so appreciative
of things that I previously took for granted.
This is also our first weekend home and I'm looking forward to getting
back to a little bit of a normal routine and having some extended time with
Paul. I'm also enjoying any chance to be
outside with the crisp fall weather, If
you drive by our house you'll notice a pumpkin and some beautiful purple mums
on our porch that one of my dear friends dropped off. I don't know what we would do without the
dear friends and family that Paul and I are blessed to have. You guys are great!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13,
2011 Day+26
As lovely as her new room is on the first floor Laura really
wants to be in her room upstairs.
Yesterday she tried to walk up the stairs but she was too worn out from
the long day. This morning she woke up
and said she wanted to go upstairs to her room and she easily walked up stairs,
with me behind her for safety. She laid
down in her own bed for the first time in over a month and her cat, Ariel,
jumped up on her bed and joined her for a nap!
It was the cutest thing. Ariel would not stay on the hospital bed
downstairs with Laura. Ariell had slept
on Laura's bed every day while she was in the hospital and was waiting for her
to come home to her own room, in her own bed.
The physical therapist came to the house today at 12:30 and
worked with Laura for about an hour and a half.
She said she will come on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Laura has something going on Monday through
Friday, there is no chance of getting bored.
We were told yesterday at clinic that Laura needs to stay within 20-25
minutes from Hopkins for the first 100 days post transplant. We were also told that she should stay house
bound except for clinic appointments for that 100 days since she has a weakened
immune system. I think we'll be renting
a lot of movies and catching up on some books.
Maybe we will do some scrap booking too.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13,
2011 Day +25 First Full Day Home!
WOW what a busy day!
This morning the home health nurse came at 8:30am and reviewed with me
how to flush Laura's PICC line, hang her antifungal medication and reviewed the
2 IV pumps she has for IV fluids that run for 12 hours over night. At 9:30 am Laura and I went to her outpatient
appointment at Hopkins and were there till 3pm.
We were both tired and had a late lunch and she rested. I'm still trying to unpack, do laundry and
get organized. Paul did a little grocery
shopping and we all enjoyed some left-overs from last nights dinner. It's so good to be home but it also feels a
little overwhelming.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11,
2011 Day+24 Discharge Day!!!!!
We are home! Thanks
so much for all of your prayers, positive thoughts and physical and emotional
support! It was a very busy day. Laura saw the occupational therapist in the
morning at 8:30 and did a victory lap in the hall. I took some luggage home and Alice came to
the hospital to hang with Laura. Alice
was a great help packing things up and I took 2 wheelchair loads of our
belongings out to the car. The hospital
staff decorated Laura's door with a CONGRATULATIONS banner and streamers,
brought in a decorated cake for her and gave her a T-shirt that says, I DID
IT!, which the staff signed in fabric paint!
We got home at 6:30pm and the visiting nurse had just pulled
up and was sitting in her car. Laura's
IV medicines had already been delivered and were in a cooler on our front
porch. The nurse was here from 6:30 to
8:15, going over IV med instructions and supplies and assessing Laura. While the nurse was here I noticed a bag on
my back porch from Boston Market from my friend, Angie. Inside was complete dinner for tonight. Laura ate the best she has eaten in a
month! She ate chicken, mashed potatoes
and macaroni and cheese!
My friend Heather, who I met at the hospital, told me how
much better her daughter did once she was home and I believe it. Laura had a nice visit from her brother, Tim,
who stopped by with his new puppy, Otto.
Laura was so happy to meet and pet Otto.
Tim was kind enough to pick up a few things for Laura from the store,
two of them being mango italian ice and vanilla ice cream, which she takes with
her medicines. It really helps the big
capsules to go down. Alice came back to
the house and she and Tim carried all our stuff from the car into the
house.
Laura really likes her new room and she looks so
comfortable. I think we're all ready to
go to sleep. Tomorrow another home
health nurse comes at 8:30am and then I take Laura to Hopkins Outpatient Center
for her 10am appointment. Good night.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10,
2011 Day +24
Today Laura's doctor said she can go home tomorrow
afternoon! We are all so thankful to
God. Laura worked with the physical
therapist and walked up and down one flight of stairs with a rest in between
and at the end. She ate some pizza and
had a few sips of a milkshake to celebrate her last night here. I am busy packing up a months worth of stuff,
YAY we are packing to go home!
Laura and I enjoyed a nice visit from a woman we know from
our church and a young woman, close to Laura's age, who has been through some
of the same treatment Laura has.
Laura has a great view from her room and every evening we
enjoy a beautiful sunset. Tonight it
looked like God used a paintbrush in the sky using shades of pink and blue.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9,
2011 Day +23
Yesterday Laura and I enjoyed a nice visit from Michelle(my
niece), Pete(her husband) and Jocelyn(their daughter).
Today was a big visitor day.
Tim came in and visited this morning, Laura's Aunt Laura came in to
visit this afternoon and Laura's girlfriend, Brittany, came in to visit in the
late afternoon! Her ANC came back up to
680, which is great and her hemoglobin came up so she didn't have to get
transfused with a unit of blood.
Unfortunately, Laura had another fever this afternoon and the general
rule before discharge is, fever free for 48 hours. Dr. Chen is the attending starting tomorrow
and he will decide when she can go home.
Please pray she won't have any more fevers.
Paul painted Laura's room today and she is looking forward
to coming home and enjoying her purple "Ravens Room".
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8,
2011 Day +22, Here a Month
Thank you so much for your prayers. Laura had a CAT scan last night and the
preliminary report does not show any fungal infection anywhere. She did spike another fever this morning at
5:45am. Her first set of blood cultures
haven't grown any bacteria but she was started on some antibiotics as a
precaution. Her other blood cultures are
pending. It is good that she was still
here in the hospital when this happened instead of being home and then having
to bring her back to the hospital through the ER and getting re-admitted. I have to trust in God's timing. God knows what is best. So far today has been a day for her to just
rest.
Paul is busy at home working on moving Laura's bedroom into
the family room so she won't have to do stairs and so she can have her own
bathroom. She will also have a beautiful
view out of the sliding glass doors of the flowers, birds and our cat,
Mel! Paul is going to be painting the
walls a new color as well, we are thinking a nice shade of PURPLE.
I have been living here with Laura except for a few hour
breaks to go home or work at the hospital.
This week I worked 3 days giving flu shots to employees during our flu
vaccine marathon. It has tugged at my
heart to leave her to go to work but the money is helpful and it was nice to
work with my co-workers. On two of the
days Paul came in and stayed with Laura, which was a comfort to me, and on the
other day the hospital arranged for a sitter.
We continue to appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this time and
are looking for guidance and wisdom as we make decisions for our family.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7,
2011 Day +21
Today Laura's ANC was 710!
She also received a package today from the Ravens! Inside the package was a letter from the
Ravens that said that their thoughts and prayers are with her and that her
great friends and family had let them know what an incredibly devout Baltimore
Ravens fan she is. She received a
picture of John Harbaugh, a lanyard that says Relentless, 2 ravens decals, and
a Ravens T-shirt! What a wonderful
surprise this was.
Please pray for Laura this evening. Yesterday and today she had a fever and is
scheduled this evening to have a CAT scan of her chest and abdomen.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011
Day +20
We got great news this afternoon. Laura is going to be discharged from the
hospital on either Monday or Tuesday!
She worked with the Physical Therapist today walking and going up and
down stairs.
Her ANC was 450 today!
The discharge coordinator is arranging for Laura to get all the
equipment she needs to go home and will arrange for the home health nurse to
contact us. This has been an exciting
day.
We have felt very loved and supported through this part of
the journey while Laura has been at Hopkins.
One very practical thing that has been very helpful to us
has been people providing meals. Two of
my friends, Cheryl and Misun, thought of signing our family up for a on- line
meal registry so people who wanted to provide a meal for us could do so on the
days that we needed them or they could purchase a gift card for a
restaurant. The site is called
mealbaby.com. I will send you information and if you are interested, feel free
to sign up.
The next phase of our journey will be once Laura is
home. She will have outpatient clinic
appointments 3 days a week, mondays, wednesdays and fridays at Hopkins. During these appointments she will have her
blood drawn through her PICC line and get whatever necessary treatments she
needs. She will also have home PT for 3
to 4 weeks and then go to the clinic for PT as well. Things will continue to be busy for all of us
and we will all have to discover what our new routines will be. Please pray for wisdom for us as we move
forward.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5,
2011 Day +19
Laura had another great day today. I went to work to help with our hospital's
flu marathon( giving flu shots all day to employees) while Paul hung out with
Laura. Her ANC is now 350! Laura played BINGO and won the board game,
SORRY. She has only 2 IV pumps on her IV
pole now instead of 6. Some of her IV
medicines have been changed to pill form now since she is doing well swallowing
pills and keeping them down. She
continues to make good progress.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4,
2011 Day +18
Laura had a great day.
Her nurse took her off the PCA pain pump since she hasn't been using it
and hasn't been having much throat pain anymore. Also, her ANC level was 195! It has been climbing up lately, which is a
good sign. Laura got some cute pajamas
from Kami"s Jammies, a program of the Casey Cares Foundation. She is wearing the pajama pants tonight.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3,
2011 Day +17
This morning Laura had an appetite and ate some scrambled
eggs, bacon and 1/2 piece of toast! She
isn't having much mouth or throat pain anymore so her continuous IV pain
medicine was discontinued. Her IV fluids
aren't infusing all the time now since she is beginning to eat and drink a
little bit on her own. These are all
very good changes.
Emily is feeling much better too and plans to return to work
on Wednesday. Thanks to all of you for
your prayers, cards, visits and meals.
It is all so helpful.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011 Day +16
Laura and I enjoyed a nice visit from Mark and Amy this
afternoon. After they left, Laura walked
a lap in the hall while I walked along beside her. She had a nice nap in preparation for staying
up to watch the Ravens game this evening.
We are currently watching the game and Laura is dressed in her jersey
and ravens hat with a fresh coat of purple nail polish on her nails! Go Ravens!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1,
2011 Day +15
Laura had a appetite earlier this afternoon and ate a few bites
of a cheeseburger! The doctors on the
team this morning said they guess she will be here for another week or so. Her absolute neutrophil count (ANC) needs to
be consistently over 1000 to 1500. Her
most recent level is 105. Her numbers
are slowly moving in the right direction, it just takes time. Laura and I put a few photos in the photo
section for your viewing pleasure.
I am getting a little stir crazy and I know Laura wants to
get out of here and get home. She misses
her cats, Mel and Ariel. I think some
visitors would be nice (as long as you are healthy). Visiting hours are noon till 8pm. Please let Laura or me know if you are
planning to visit. If you are unable to
visit please know that she really appreciates the cards and well wishes on her
guest book.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30,
2011 Day +13
 |
| Laura has a very positive attidude |
 |
| Well wishes and Prayers cover the wall |
I forgot to mention that on Wednesday Laura played BINGO and
was a double winner! She selected a
Target gift card and a scrap booking kit.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 Day +12
Laura had her salon appointment yesterday and got her head
shaved. Both Paul and Emily met us at
the salon. Laura has a beautifully
shaped head. Her beautiful eyebrows,
brown eyes and long lashes really stand out.
Emily brought Laura some beautiful head scarves to wear and she has a
Ravens cap, Orioles cap, and a pink cowboy hat as other fashion options.
 |
| Emily visited. There is a lifetime connection between the two - one that will last forever. |
Laura had her PICC line placed today in her left arm so now
she is getting all her IV medications through it. Aunt Laura came in to visit while I went home
for a short time to have dinner with Paul.
Aunt Laura brought some things to decorate Laura's room and make i
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER
28, 2011 Day +12
Laura has her appointment in the Image Recovery Salon at
1:30 this afternoon. Please pray for
her. She will be getting a very short
hair cut. This is emotionally upsetting
just thinking about it but it needs to be done.t a little more homey.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER
27, 2011 Day +11
This morning while I was on the 3rd floor for a parent
coffee time Laura fell in her room when trying to get out of bed. I was actually a lot more upset by it than
she was. She was seen by the team of
doctors as usual and also by the hospital neurologist and everything is
fine. I requested some safety measures
because of this fall and to prevent future falls. She now has a pad under her shoulders which
alarms if it senses a pressure change with my voice recorded reminding her to
ask for help getting up. The other
change was, she was moved from room 860 to 848 which is directly across from
the nurses station.
In the evening Laura's hickman catheter which is in her
chest and held with a suture, completely pulled out. Later, around 10pm, the IV nurse came and
inserted 2 IV's in her left arm so she could continue her IV fluids, pain
medicine, antibiotics etc. She never
complained and took it all in stride. Me,
I'm a bit of a emotional mess but I'm trying to work through it.
So thank you all for your prayers, we need them!
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26,
2011 Day +10
Laura has been
comfortable most of the day. She has
been eating some mango italian ice and some strawberry PediaSure with vanilla
ice cream mixed in. Her hair is starting
to thin out and we have requested an appointment in the Image Recovery Salon.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25,
2011 Day +9
This morning Tim came to visit Laura while Paul and I went
to breakfast and church. Laura really
enjoyed her brother's visit. Laura got
some platelets today since her platelet count was low. Laura and I watched the Ravens game at
4pm. What a great game! We both had our jersey's on and I painted
Laura's fingernails and toenails with purple polish. It's been a good day.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER
24, 2011 Day +8
Today Laura began experiencing painful sores in her mouth
and throat which is common and expected after receiving chemo. She was started on some pain medicine
delivered through a IV pump. She is a
lot more comfortable now and has even enjoyed some popsicles and italian ice
throughout the day. Paul brought in a
package from Guita's Aunt Cathy today.
Inside was a beautiful and colorful prayer quilt with a meaningful
prayer with it. It has been on her bed
today ever since she received it. We
appreciate all the love and support from the West Coast.
Last Saturday I forgot to mention a nice visit from Matthew
and Michael with bagels and muffins.
Paul and I really look forward to the visits, it really lifts our
spirits. I will try to post some
pictures soon on this site, it's definitely a work in progress.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23,
2011 Day +7
This morning I went to work for 8 hours, the first time
since the end of August. Paul came down
around 9am and hung out with Laura. They
enjoyed watching a movie together in her room.
After work I went home and slept in my own bed for the first time since
last Thursday. It was so quiet and
peaceful and I slept for 2 hours! My
friend, Cheryl, had dropped off some beef stew, pork and noodles and pumpkin
muffins in a cooler on my back porch today and I enjoyed a bowl of stew and a
muffin before heading back to the hospital around 8pm. I stopped by and visited
Emily and shared some stew and muffins with her too. I am so grateful for the team of friends and
family who are encouraging us and supporting us in so many wonderful ways.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER
22, 2011 Day +6
Today has been a quiet day for Laura. She napped a lot since her red blood cell,
white blood cell and platelet counts have dropped, as is expected after
chemo. It will take about 3 weeks post
transplant for her levels to start rising.
Someone from dietary saw Laura today and introduced her to some
nutritional drinks called Breeze and PediaSure.
She tried the Breeze drink in berry flavor and tolerated it well. This was encouraging to see.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER
21, 2011 Day +5
A friend of mine from church came to visit with Laura while
I went to the dentist, took a walk with a friend and had lunch with another
friend. I got back in time for BINGO and
Laura won in the third round! She
selected a movie on DVD called Secondhand Lions. Laura walked a lap in the hall with PT and
did some excercises in her room.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER
20, 2011 Day +4
Laura started drinking some ginger ale today and kept it
down. She had a busy day today. She was seen by the team of doctors as she
does every morning and then by her Dr. who had referred her for the Bone Marrow
transplant. She was also seen by a
hospital neurologist and had an appointment in the Wilmer eye clinic. In the evening she had a brain MRI.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19,
2011 Day +3
Laura got some more cards today and they are up on display
in her room. Laura hasn't felt like
eating or drinking much so she was started on TPN (total parenteral
nutrition). She now gets all the
vitamins and fats she needs through her IV.
The IV fluid looks like a bag of gatorade and a bottle of milk.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18,
2011 Day +2
Paul came to the hospital in the morning so I could head
home and go to church, take a walk, and run some errands. I watched part of the Ravens game at the
hospital with Paul and Laura. Sadly, the
Ravens lost to the Titans. Laura started
working with PT yesterday and she walked a lap in the hall and did some
excercises in her room.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER
17, 2011 Day +1
Paul drove Emily down for her post op visit at 3pm
today. The doctor changed her large
pressure dressing that was across her lower back and placed a couple of smaller
dressings. She is having quite a bit of
pain so the doctor increased her dose of pain medicine. Hopefully she will be feeling better
soon. Some past and future US Olympic
swimmers paid a visit to the unit and gave both Emily and Laura T-shirts with
their signatures on them! Hopkins does
so much to keep up their patient's spirits.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16,
2011 Happy Bone Marrow Transplant
Day!
 |
| pre-op |
 |
| nothing comforts a person more than Mom's loving touch |
 |
| Emily is really excited about donating her bone marrow to her sister |
This is the big day that we have all been waiting and
praying for! Paul drove Emily here early
this morning to be at the hospital by 7am.
Paul and I had the opportunity to be with Emily before she was taken
into the OR at 10am. Emily was excited
and sleepy at the same time. Paul and I
both took turns being with Emily in the recovery room after wards. The nurse told us that Emily had high cell
counts which was great so they took out about 750cc of fluid instead of having
to take out 1000cc or more. Way to go
Emily! Within hours Laura was receiving
Emily's bone marrow infusing just like a blood transfusion through her hickman
catheter. I have a real sense of hope
and peace today. We are all so grateful
for our family and friends and their positive thoughts and prayers.
 |
| The Bag has hung with absolute care |
 |
| close up of life saving bone marrow. Emily is a perfect match ! |
 |
| Emily visits after her recovery |
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER
15, 2011
Paul brought Emily down to Hopkins for some pre-op testing
and then Emily stayed for a nice visit with Laura. Paul and I went home for a while and enjoyed
a late lunch at Panera and picked up some mylar balloons and cards while we
were out. It felt so nice to be home for
a little while.
 |
| Mom greets Emily in the waiting room at Hopkins |
 |
| Mom and Emily going over some forms |
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER
14, 2011
 |
| Mom and Laura join forces to conquer remote BINGO |
 |
| Laura onto her 2nd win. |
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER
13, 2011
Laura got her first of two doses of a different chemo
medication this afternoon. She isn't
eating very often but she did enjoy some macaroni and cheese and some crackers.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12,
2011
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11,
2011
Paul, Laura and I watched the Ravens game and we won
35-7!!! Paul made buffalo chicken dip by
himself and it tasted great. We were all
so happy we won against the Steelers.
Oh, by the way, everyone here knows what a big fan Laura is since she
has a Ravens pillowcase on her bed, wears Ravens pajama pants, has the team
photo on her wall and has decorated the outside of her door with the Ravens
logo!
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER
10, 2011
Paul, Emily and [Aunt] Laura came for a visit which was
great. It really helps break up a long
day. All of the nurses on the unit are
great! They are so positive and
encouraging. They are all very
knowledgeable and print out copies of her lab reports for me every day. They are all young and love to talk to Laura
about the books she has been reading and the movies she has seen. Laura and I stayed up to midnight watching
some episodes of Grey's Anatomy.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9,
2011
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER
8, 2011 Admission for Transplant
Laura and I left for Hopkins at 10:15am and she had her labs drawn through her hickman catheter in the outpatient center. We had lunch at Flamers and as soon as we were done her room was ready on the 8th floor, the pediatric oncology unit. She is in room 860. Paul came to the hospital and made multiple trips to the car, carrying in 2 suitcases and many tote bags filled with stuff needed for a long stay. Laura's nurse told her about Beads of Courage which is a bead journal to keep track of her treatment journey. Laura was given different color beads for different procedures or milestones in her treatment. As her string of beads grows, it will be something she can use to remember and retell the story of her treatment. She had her first dose of chemo and didn't have any side effects! Praise God! We stayed up and watched a movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment