Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Today was Hannah's second Tuesday of this chemo cycle. Again, no effects yet from this chemo. She has however, started to become more adamant and boisterous about her displeasure with the chemo, in particular putting in or taking out the needle from her port. She has gone from disliking it, but tolerating it, to outright screaming, and we have to hold her down. They told me today it is common, but it's not easy to go through for me or her. She begins the night before saying she is just not going the next day, then she usually has one or two crying spells about not wanting to be accessed. We try to distract her, but it's not really working any more. At least it is short lived after the needle is in and after it comes out.

She was however, very proud of her bandaid collection today. Last week we had picked up a small rolling bag, so that all of her collection would fit. It was so much easier, because she could bring it in today by herself, and it was one less thing to carry. Of course the first question everyone wanted to know was what new bandaids she had since last time. She showed them her animal bandaids from Joe and Colleen, her new Boston Red Sox Bandaids-which she says we're not allowed to use, she is saving them, her new tatoo bandaids from Aunt Susie, her Hello Kitty bandaids from Mrs. Baker, her new bandaids from Miss Trish in IN and her assortment from Mr. Tom and Mrs. Debbie, Grandma's friends in Indiana. She even shared her collection today with another little boy we finally met. We had seen this little boy a few times at clinic, and noticed his scars looked exactly like Hannah's. Come to find out, he had the same surgeon that Hannah did, and they live in Centereach. Today I spoke with his mom, and he does have medulloblastoma also, although his is large cell anaplastic medullo, which is what Hannah's was thought to be at first, and he had two spots on his spine also. LC/A Medullo is more serious than standard medullo, and treated more aggressively. He is such a sweeet little boy, 5 years old and needed a new bandaid. There was Hannah to the rescue, with many to choose from.

They left Hannah accessed today because tomorrow she goes in for her 3 month follow up brain MRI, and she will have an audiogram as well. Another trip to New Hyde Park, thank goodness for the entertainment system in the car, it's been absolutely wonderful for the long drives there and back.

I wanted to share this picture from last week of swimming at Abby's. Pictured here with Hannah-on the duckie-is Colby, Abby, Emilie and Tori. They really had a good time.

xoKim