First Day!

It was Catherine's first day at school today. She was very nervous in the morning and in the days running up to school day, but I knew she would be fine. She went up to her new teacher, and as we were leaving, all we could hear was Catherine chatting away to her teacher. Sometimes I think Catherine is such a grown-up. She just went inside and started discussing what she was worried about with her teacher. I think Reception teachers deserve a medal when all the new children arrive. They all wanted her attention, plus the teacher had to deal with all the parents as well.

It turns out that Catherine's main worry was whether the other children would end up knocking against her portacath, but tomorrow, her teacher is going to explain about Catherine's portacath to the other children.

Catherine is now so excited about her new school. She told me she loved using the computers today, doing her drawing and storytime. So much so that I was told this evening to get everything ready for her tonight for tomorrow!

Sick and poorly

Catherine has been vomiting most of the night and has a tummy ache. It is not caused by her chemotherapy. She is feeling very miserable. The doctors are concerned that she might get dehydrated and need to go in for rehydration. However, at the moment she is still drinking. Her temperature has gone up a bit, so we are praying she doesn't need to go into hospital today. Please pray with us.

Catherine has been poorly on and off all week. Mainly she has been nauseous and has had headaches but today she was actually sick, so I'm now hoping she will soon start to feel better, especially as she starts school on Monday. Thankfully she still has one neutrophil (!) so she has a very small immune system. She also has no temperature so we can look after her at home. She is currently fast asleep on the sofa. These are some recent photos of her, one from at church and the other when she 'met' Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. We had a very good day at the hospital on Tuesday. The consultant has told Catherine that they will continue to take her bloods from her portacath, so she is now not terrified to go to the hospital for her treatment. I think the nurses were amazed at how calm she was about having her portacath accessed. She even refused to have any cold spray to numb the area. I think she was just so happy not to have to use the 'finger clicker'.

Hospital day beckons

We were planning to take Catherine to the farm today, but she ended up waking up feeling poorly - she felt sick with a tummy ache. She spent most of the day snuggled up with her teddy on the sofa or in bed, but thankfully felt better this evening. Tomorrow we are going to hospital for more Vincristine chemotherapy. Hopefully they will take bloods from her portacath and not use the finger clicker tomorrow, otherwise we will have a devastated daughter on our hands. Our consultant said we will need to have the finger clicker every second appointment, so hopefully the nurses will be ok with taking some blood from her port before we have the 'cold medicine'. Please pray all goes well. Thankyou.

The anniversary of the beginning of treatment

Today is the anniversary of the beginning of Catherine's treatment - she was diagnosed on August 26 2008.
It is hard to believe that it has been a year since treatment began. Here are some photographs of Catherine's journey that I would like to share with you, each one bringing back memories of every part of treatment so far. One more year (and a bit) of treatment to go.




A few weeks before diagnosis.




















The day of diagnosis. Catherine was asleep when we were told the news.












Brief respite at home to pack before going into Jimmy's to begin intensive chemotherapy treatment.

The needles and canulas begin



























Catherine names her drip 'Melody' because it makes a musical bleeping sound.











Back in London, the steroids begin to take effect. Catherine has now also had surgery to put in her portacath.













Catherine's hair starts to thin and she continues to be effected by the steroids.

A blood transfusion at The Royal Marsden in London.

Hair now completely gone. It is hard to imagine that she had no hair six months ago.

















Catherine out and about with her 'hair'
























One of our hospital stays. Thankfully, Catherine only had an ear infection.











Through her intensive chemo and out and about in London.

During the 'chicken-pox' scare, although Catherine amazingly never got chicken pox!

Nocturnal

Catherine and I have been talking a alot recently about the way that some animals are nocturnal.

Last night Catherine woke up so I went into her room to give her a cuddle. While I was there, I could feel her baby brother or sister moving in my tummy so I told her that baby was also awake.

'Yes', she said, 'maybe he is nocturnal'.

It seems Catherine already has a good idea that babies are night owls!

Crocodiles and pocket money

Last night Catherine ended up sleeping in our bed as she was having strange dreams about crocodiles eating children. It was a bit odd, so I asked her what was worrying her, and then she told me that she was feeling nervous about meeting all the new children and going to her new school in two-weeks-time. She asked me if Mark and I had been scared when we first went to school, and I explained that it was normal for people to feel a bit nervous about new things. She was reassured and then went back to sleep, although for a small person she is very good at taking up the whole bed AND all the bedclothes!



We have also started giving Catherine pocket money - £1 a week - and yesterday she took her little purse to the shops. She decided to buy herself a Noddy painting kit (only £1) and is enjoying having her own pennies. She is already working out that Friday is the day for her money, and I get pestered straight away as soon as Catherine knows its her 'money day'. The start of things to come...