Bravery award!

I asked Catherine what she thought about today. She said 'I was a bit tired and got bored a long while but it was not too bad'. Today Catherine had her first blood transfusion. A blood transfusion takes about four hours and we also had to get another cannula in again so we were at hospital today from 9-6.30pm.

Catherine was quite scared about going to hospital again today after Friday, and again it took a number of attempts to do the cannula. Eventually they asked an anaesthetist to have a go at getting a good vein. The anaesthetist looked so confident and inserted the cannula at first attempt, only for it to go wrong after a short while. It was a shame to see the disappointment in his eyes. They are so kind here. It was also hard when we all sat around and discussed what we were going to do - Catherine needed the blood before a General Anaesthetic tomorrow, but they were running out of usable veins. However, it was good that they discussed this with me in the room as I actually felt part of the decision-making process. The anaesthetist told us that the chemotherapy alters the veins temporarily so it makes it very difficult to insert canulas. This would explain why it had been so much easier before treatment began. They found one more vein that they could use and thankfully it worked.

Catherine stayed completely still through the whole procedure and the nurse was so impressed with her that she received a present. The nurse said she was the best little girl she had ever seen for dealing with that situation. Whether the nurse was just being very kind I don't know for sure, but I do know that she was impressed with her. Mummy got a sticker from Catherine for also being brave, so we are now both heroes. Daddy just got a coffee from the canteen, but he was more than happy with that.

Catherine is going to have her portacath inserted tomorrow as they have no good veins left for cannulas. This procedure will involve another anaesthetic. Please pray that the general anaesthetic and the procedure will go smoothly and that Catherine's body will adapt well to the portacath. Also that she will not get any infections and that she will also be ok with the portacath once she sees it and understands fully what it is for.

What is a portacath?

Most children receiving chemotherapy receive a portacath although some opt for a Hickman line. Catherine will have a portacath as it has more advantages for younger children than a Hickman line. A portacath is an implantable port device, which is positioned completely under the skin and inserted into the subclavian (?) vein to avoid the need for repeated cannulas. How is the portacath inserted into the vein? The portacath will be inserted under general anaesthetic in the operating theatre, positioned in the chest. The portacath can be used for chemotherapy administration, for taking blood and receiving hydration fluids. Catherine will be able to bathe and go swimming as normal. This will mean Catherine will need no more cannulas during her treatment. The portacath will be removed at the end of treatment.