Talitha made it through the first week of therapy. She seemed to handle the assault better than what I'd conjured up in my mind from the descriptions they gave us of what was likely to happen. I'm convinced her successful week had everything to do with the constant prayers and pleadings from thousands of people the majority of whom have never even met Talitha.
We continue to hope and pray the side-effects will be gentler than what we've been warned usually accompany such an aggressive cancer battle.
Talitha received a 6 hour IV of Cisplatin from 9PM to 3AM last night. Besides being the most nausea-producing of any of the chemos she's received during the last 7 days, it also carries with it the likelihood of "damage to the ear causing difficulty in hearing high pitched sounds." Several of the nurses explained that many small children that receive Cisplatin end up needing hearing aids. In my prayers lately, I've found myself pleading with the Lord to please weaken the cancer cells so the therapies will be successful in their elimination. I've been following that up with the earnest request that her healthy cells be strengthened especially so she may have the benefit of their necessary function as she grows and develops.
Please pray for Talitha's ears that they be healed and strengthened if it is God's will that it be so.
The best news for us right now is that Talitha was released from the hospital this afternoon and is at home sleeping in her own bed tonight! Being cooped up in that hospital room wasn't her first choice on how she would've liked to have spent this last week. She is so much livelier at home and seems to be much stronger already. (The blood transfusion this morning probably helped with her energy levels.)
Her ANC reading--no idea what that stands for but it has to do with her white blood cell count--was at 2,700 when she left the hospital today. Anything under 3,000 makes her extremely susceptable to infection. We are doing all we can in the home to help her stay germ-free and infection-free as much as possible. And we pray for her safety knowing that infections can come from anywhere including from within her own body.
So another leg of the journey is behind us with much road ahead and very limited visibility.
Tonight, we are finding great joy in the little things like sleeping in our own beds, being together as a family and having our baby home for few precious days.
We continue to hope and pray the side-effects will be gentler than what we've been warned usually accompany such an aggressive cancer battle.
Talitha received a 6 hour IV of Cisplatin from 9PM to 3AM last night. Besides being the most nausea-producing of any of the chemos she's received during the last 7 days, it also carries with it the likelihood of "damage to the ear causing difficulty in hearing high pitched sounds." Several of the nurses explained that many small children that receive Cisplatin end up needing hearing aids. In my prayers lately, I've found myself pleading with the Lord to please weaken the cancer cells so the therapies will be successful in their elimination. I've been following that up with the earnest request that her healthy cells be strengthened especially so she may have the benefit of their necessary function as she grows and develops.
Please pray for Talitha's ears that they be healed and strengthened if it is God's will that it be so.
The best news for us right now is that Talitha was released from the hospital this afternoon and is at home sleeping in her own bed tonight! Being cooped up in that hospital room wasn't her first choice on how she would've liked to have spent this last week. She is so much livelier at home and seems to be much stronger already. (The blood transfusion this morning probably helped with her energy levels.)
Her ANC reading--no idea what that stands for but it has to do with her white blood cell count--was at 2,700 when she left the hospital today. Anything under 3,000 makes her extremely susceptable to infection. We are doing all we can in the home to help her stay germ-free and infection-free as much as possible. And we pray for her safety knowing that infections can come from anywhere including from within her own body.
So another leg of the journey is behind us with much road ahead and very limited visibility.
Tonight, we are finding great joy in the little things like sleeping in our own beds, being together as a family and having our baby home for few precious days.
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