Wednesday, January 15th
It was an early start to our next round of treatment and admission to the BMT Unit. We were out the door at 4:45 am to make it to the hospital by 5:30. Avery was the first surgical case of the day. She had to have a central line placed with a double lumen(two ends). This will make things easier as we won't have to continually access/deaccess her port, and it will allow for them to push multiple things at once if needed. She was playful and in a good mood until it was time to take her to surgery. There were tears and objections, but she put up a little less of a fight going with them this time. The surgery and recovery went fairly quickly, and we were up in our room by 9:30. Avery was pretty sore the rest of the day, but she was back to her normal self a few hours after the anesthesia wore off.
She had more tests sprinkled through the day. She had an abdominal ultrasound which didn't go over too well for her, but they were at least able to get a picture of her bladder and liver that was needed. It was something new though, which always throws her for a loop. We also went for another audiologist appointment. Her hearing remained stable from the last time they checked it. The losses we previously saw are still there, but thankfully it didn't get any worse. The chemo she will receive for the next 3 days is one known to damage hearing, so please send up some extra prayers that her hearing be protected. We also had to repeat her 12 hr creatinine clearance test (which means saving and keeping her urine on ice).
The transplant unit is a whole other world compared to what we have been used to. It is just a reminder of how fragile Avery's immune system is about to become. Just to name a few rules/guidelines:
- No flowers, plants or balloons
- Food must be discarded after 1 hr and no sharing food
- Prepared food from home must have been cooked in the last 24hrs
- Food from a restaurant must have a 90+ health rating and no buffets allowed(I'm pretty sure we already follow this one:) )
- Mouth care is to be done every 4 hrs (no toothpaste or toothbrushes - must use toothette and rinses they provide)
- If we choose to use her bathroom, we must sanitize after each use
- Avery's drinks must come from cans, bottles, or the water dispenser from the patient nutrition room. She can not have drinks from the soda fountain machine due to risk of contamination
- She can not leave the unit
The rest of the day/night was spent playing games and doing crafts. She went to sleep quickly due to the early start and long day. She starts her first round of chemo on Thursday.
Please continue to pray for:
- Protection from side effects of chemotherapy and suppressed immune system
- Protection of hearing
- Protection of liver and kidneys
- Avery will quickly adapt to her new routine and "jobs"
Sending love and prayers as you enter this new chapter! I hope that everything goes well, and that she rallies and has fewer problems with the new routine. Just know that you and all of your family, in addition to Avery, are in my prayers every day!
Continuing prayers for brave little Avery and also prayers for all of you as you go through this with her. Praying that there are no harmful side effects to the new meds and for a miracle of complete healing.
Praying Avery's hearing remains the same, chemo will be tolerated, no germs anywhere, and our Heavenly Father will give you all some rest, comfort, good reports from doctor, and this journey will bring healing to sweet Avery. Love and may you feel Jesus' arm of love daily
Continued prayers for all of you. 💕
Prayers for your precious Avery and all of those taking care of her during this journey for her cure!! 🙏🙏