Some people have been having problems posting messages on Catherine's blog, so we have started an e-mail account if people want to send an e-mail instead. The e-mail address is:
catherineisgreat88@rocketmail.com
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Sunday, 14 December 2008
This week and Doxorubicin
Thank you for your prayers! Catherine managed to get through her tummy bug without a temperature which means we were able to stay at home. She was also better the following day and had enough neutrophils so we were able to go to the pantomime after all! We went to see Peter Pan and Catherine loved it. Today, all she has spoken about is Peter Pan and whether we can see it again. She demanded, and has coloured in, pictures of Peter, Wendy and Hook off the internet. She has also dressed up as a fairy and been practicing flying!
We are going to hospital this week to begin the next phase of chemotherapy. This is a more difficult phase, and begins on Thursday with a general anaesthetic, bone marrow test and chemotherapy into the spinal fluid. I am also a bit nervous about Friday because she will be at hospital again to receive two chemotherapy drugs: Vincristine, which she has had before, and Doxorubicin.
I am a bit nervous about Doxorubicin as it has some scarier side effects: weakening of the heart muscle and there is a small risk of a second kind of leukaemia. Please can I ask for your prayers again, to ensure nothing happens to her heart and that she does not get another form of leukaemia. Also please pray that the side effects are minimal during this phase and also that she does not get an infection.
Thank you for your prayers concerning chicken pox a few weeks ago. I am pleased to confirm that Catherine did not get the chicken pox infection which can be difficult for children who do not have much of an immune system.
It has been really good being on a less intense chemotherapy regime, but we know the next set of chemicals can be problematic.
We are going to hospital this week to begin the next phase of chemotherapy. This is a more difficult phase, and begins on Thursday with a general anaesthetic, bone marrow test and chemotherapy into the spinal fluid. I am also a bit nervous about Friday because she will be at hospital again to receive two chemotherapy drugs: Vincristine, which she has had before, and Doxorubicin.
I am a bit nervous about Doxorubicin as it has some scarier side effects: weakening of the heart muscle and there is a small risk of a second kind of leukaemia. Please can I ask for your prayers again, to ensure nothing happens to her heart and that she does not get another form of leukaemia. Also please pray that the side effects are minimal during this phase and also that she does not get an infection.
Thank you for your prayers concerning chicken pox a few weeks ago. I am pleased to confirm that Catherine did not get the chicken pox infection which can be difficult for children who do not have much of an immune system.
It has been really good being on a less intense chemotherapy regime, but we know the next set of chemicals can be problematic.
Friday, 12 December 2008
Catherine is poorly
Catherine was up most of last night being sick with the sickness bug that Mark had earlier in the week. She is off school and is currently at home on the sofa fast asleep.
Please pray that she doesn't get a temperature, otherwise we will have to go to hospital for another five days. Catherine is desperate not to miss her Christmas nativity play - it is next Friday, and she needs to be well enough for rehearsals too. She will be singing 'Twinkle, twinkle little star'. She loves singing and can't wait to try on her costume. She also has her nursery Christmas party next Tuesday, and I'm going to feel really rotten if I have to tell her she can't go. Catherine is such a social animal (!) it is hard for her to be cooped up. She has already been sulking today because she is bored, so we made a giant Christmas cracker and card for the carol service.
Thank you for your prayers. I plan to put some more recent photos on the blog soon so you can see how Catherine is doing.
Please pray that she doesn't get a temperature, otherwise we will have to go to hospital for another five days. Catherine is desperate not to miss her Christmas nativity play - it is next Friday, and she needs to be well enough for rehearsals too. She will be singing 'Twinkle, twinkle little star'. She loves singing and can't wait to try on her costume. She also has her nursery Christmas party next Tuesday, and I'm going to feel really rotten if I have to tell her she can't go. Catherine is such a social animal (!) it is hard for her to be cooped up. She has already been sulking today because she is bored, so we made a giant Christmas cracker and card for the carol service.
Thank you for your prayers. I plan to put some more recent photos on the blog soon so you can see how Catherine is doing.
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Carolling in hospital, not counting the hours...
I've just been back to Catherine's ward from last week - carolling with the band! It was very strange going there and knowing everything that goes on, but only going there to sing! We actually sang a whole rendition of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and Away in a Manger on the exact spot where she was taken in with her fever last week. Bizarre!
I remember the strange mixture of boredom and stress on the wards and thought how welcome it was to have some people come and sing to us when we were there last week. Carolling was very worthwhile. I felt privileged to be in the oncology and children's wards, and being a bit more experienced in these things than I used to be, I didn't feel at all awkward. It was very weird - almost like being at a home-from-home!
When Catherine found out that mummy was going out earlier, she wanted to come with me. However, when she realised I was going to her hospital to sing she said 'no thanks, mummy. I stay here with daddy!?!?'
Catherine is doing well and there are no more signs of infection. She has been off school all week and is quite happy and contented to play with her mum all day, although soon we will run out of craft equipment!!!
I was talking with Mark last night about Catherine and her treatment, and we agree that, whilst we are pleased that everything is going well and whilst we are confident about the future, Catherine's illness can actually be quite emotionally draining. Its like a little gnawing pressure in the back of your mind, having to remember all the medicines and treatments. It is also difficult to love someone and see them go through all this treatment. It was good yesterday for us both to be able to have a few minutes to talk things through and we both feel better for it.
I remember the strange mixture of boredom and stress on the wards and thought how welcome it was to have some people come and sing to us when we were there last week. Carolling was very worthwhile. I felt privileged to be in the oncology and children's wards, and being a bit more experienced in these things than I used to be, I didn't feel at all awkward. It was very weird - almost like being at a home-from-home!
When Catherine found out that mummy was going out earlier, she wanted to come with me. However, when she realised I was going to her hospital to sing she said 'no thanks, mummy. I stay here with daddy!?!?'
Catherine is doing well and there are no more signs of infection. She has been off school all week and is quite happy and contented to play with her mum all day, although soon we will run out of craft equipment!!!
I was talking with Mark last night about Catherine and her treatment, and we agree that, whilst we are pleased that everything is going well and whilst we are confident about the future, Catherine's illness can actually be quite emotionally draining. Its like a little gnawing pressure in the back of your mind, having to remember all the medicines and treatments. It is also difficult to love someone and see them go through all this treatment. It was good yesterday for us both to be able to have a few minutes to talk things through and we both feel better for it.
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Spider hunt
Our daughter is doing well and has not had any more temperatures or signs of infection. Her blood results were good today even though her neutrophils are dropping again.
She is getting used to not being at nursery and is enjoying it a little too much - tonight when she went to bed she was pleased that she was staying home tomorrow!!
Today she has been on a spider hunting expedition, using the pump from her inflatable bed to suck up imaginary spiders around the house. They are very wonderful colours - she sucked up a few pink and green spiders today, and her imagination must be good because when there is a big spider, she looks a bit nervous and creeps up on it slowly! We have also been doing some Christmas crafts and tomorrow we will be making paper chains! Yesterday, she read her little book for the first time. It was very exciting and she was very proud.
We are conscious of the fact that her intensification block of chemotherapy starts shortly (December 18th) and we are not looking forward to it. There are some more serious potential side effects of this treatment along with a greater risk of infection. The lesser side effects, although very unpleasant, include nausea and vomiting, mucositis (inflammation of the mouth, throat and stomach leading to soreness and ulcers), inflamed oesophagus and difficulty swallowing(oesophagitis) and muscle pains. More serious but rarer problems include the development of another form of leukaemia or a secondary cancer. Also there is a risk of heart problems.
Please pray for Catherine. I don't want this time to be the calm before the storm but the medical profession have warned us that the next phase is unpleasant for Catherine. Please pray for us as we administer a number of the drugs at home, as it will be hard to give her medicines when we know they might make her feel very ill. Please pray that we will have peace at this time and know that we are firmly in God's hands.
I look at her every night grateful for the day that we have had together, knowing that the next couple of months need lots of prayer surrounding them.
She is getting used to not being at nursery and is enjoying it a little too much - tonight when she went to bed she was pleased that she was staying home tomorrow!!
Today she has been on a spider hunting expedition, using the pump from her inflatable bed to suck up imaginary spiders around the house. They are very wonderful colours - she sucked up a few pink and green spiders today, and her imagination must be good because when there is a big spider, she looks a bit nervous and creeps up on it slowly! We have also been doing some Christmas crafts and tomorrow we will be making paper chains! Yesterday, she read her little book for the first time. It was very exciting and she was very proud.
We are conscious of the fact that her intensification block of chemotherapy starts shortly (December 18th) and we are not looking forward to it. There are some more serious potential side effects of this treatment along with a greater risk of infection. The lesser side effects, although very unpleasant, include nausea and vomiting, mucositis (inflammation of the mouth, throat and stomach leading to soreness and ulcers), inflamed oesophagus and difficulty swallowing(oesophagitis) and muscle pains. More serious but rarer problems include the development of another form of leukaemia or a secondary cancer. Also there is a risk of heart problems.
Please pray for Catherine. I don't want this time to be the calm before the storm but the medical profession have warned us that the next phase is unpleasant for Catherine. Please pray for us as we administer a number of the drugs at home, as it will be hard to give her medicines when we know they might make her feel very ill. Please pray that we will have peace at this time and know that we are firmly in God's hands.
I look at her every night grateful for the day that we have had together, knowing that the next couple of months need lots of prayer surrounding them.
Monday, 1 December 2008
5 sleeps, now home
This evening Catherine is sleeping in her pink bed with her teddy knowing that she will not have to be woken up to have medicine all night.
Yes, Catherine is home.
We were allowed to leave hospital at lunchtime today after her neutrophil count went up from 0.3 - 2.1 (which is a big jump for Catherine). However, they were unable to find out what caused the infection in the first place. The nearest diagnosis was an upper respiratory tract infection but they were still not completely sure.
Catherine is very relieved to be home. This morning she wailed, 'But mummy, I have already done 5 sleeps'. We do not plan to take Catherine to 'school' for the next few days but this will be hard for her as she loves nursery. I am hoping to distract her by putting up the Christmas decorations tomorrow, but I don't know how long it will last.
Thankyou for your prayers. It has meant that Catherine now has enough neutrophils to come home and can resume her chemotherapy. She is still on oral antibiotics and her potassium supplement for the next few days, but is so pleased to be home. Please pray that this infection is now gone or under control and that she will not have to go into hospital for any more treatment for it in the next week!
Yes, Catherine is home.
We were allowed to leave hospital at lunchtime today after her neutrophil count went up from 0.3 - 2.1 (which is a big jump for Catherine). However, they were unable to find out what caused the infection in the first place. The nearest diagnosis was an upper respiratory tract infection but they were still not completely sure.
Catherine is very relieved to be home. This morning she wailed, 'But mummy, I have already done 5 sleeps'. We do not plan to take Catherine to 'school' for the next few days but this will be hard for her as she loves nursery. I am hoping to distract her by putting up the Christmas decorations tomorrow, but I don't know how long it will last.
Thankyou for your prayers. It has meant that Catherine now has enough neutrophils to come home and can resume her chemotherapy. She is still on oral antibiotics and her potassium supplement for the next few days, but is so pleased to be home. Please pray that this infection is now gone or under control and that she will not have to go into hospital for any more treatment for it in the next week!
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