Day 3 - Cycle 3

Friday, November 8th

Avery got sick once more time right before bedtime last night. We decided to give her Ativan and Benadryl both to try and keep the nausea at bay overnight. This helped as she didn't get sick again, but it also led to her staying up until 1am.

My internal clock had me awake by 5:20 am, but Avery was able to sleep until around 8 am this morning. I had plans of us both getting an afternoon nap, but that didn’t come to fruition. She spent the day playing games, painting, crafting, and watching videos. She is still pretty puffy from all the fluids, but otherwise felt pretty good.

She received her Etoposide, Cyclophosphamide, and Mesna just as she did yesterday with no issues. One of the potential late effects of Etoposide is secondary leukemia. We spend so much time managing and praying for the short-term effects while receiving chemo, but the late side effects of chemotherapy as a child are even scarier - learning problems, growth issues, thyroid problems, hearing and vision issues, fertility issues, and kidney, liver, lung, and heart problems.

Avery managed to stay free from nausea most of the day and has only gotten sick twice (late afternoon and before bedtime). She is doing so much better than the last round, and we are so thankful for that! When Shon got here, we made our trip to the claw machine and to play air hockey. She got tired easily but enjoyed getting out of the room before her counts plummet.

Today, Avery received a hand crocheted Princess Jasmine wig from The Magic Yarn Project. It is the cutest thing ever, and she had so much fun wearing it. A lot of time, love, and yarn went into this wig. We are once again thankful for all of these wonderful organizations and volunteers that do so much to bring a smile to a child's face as they go through this tough journey.

She has started on bicarb fluids in preparation for her Methotrexate tomorrow. Since her mucositis was so bad last round, they have upped her fluids to 156mL per hour to help her clear the medicine more quickly. This is nearly a gallon of fluids in a 24hr period(not taking into account her feeds) and results in lots of extra trips to the bathroom:) Tomorrow is her last "big" chemo day this round. Afterwards, we will focus on her recovery.

Please continue to pray for:

- No nausea and vomiting

- Quickly clear the Methotrexate

- No fever or neutropenia when we get to go home

- A restful night