[click on the picture for full size]The fall colors haven't peaked yet, but we did see some fall blooms, migrating birds, and a 6 foot alligator!
Mollie still has a cough, but she is perky, eating well, and seems fine. Today she had a cardiac echo to establish her baseline heart function before she begins delayed intensification (DI). Next week she will get doxorubicin, a very cardiotoxic chemotherapy drug. They will continue to monitor her heart function throughout the DI phase.
I asked about why they do not do any additional bone marrow biopsies after remission is achieved. Turns out that they have figured out it doesn't help discover relapses any sooner than monitoring the blood cells, so it would put the kids through unnecessary anesthesia/procedures. Also, I read about a cardioprotective drug, DXR, that used to be given with doxorubicin. They used to use it but it has some myelosuppressive side effects and unknown long term side effects. In cases where they have to use extremely high doses of doxorubicin, they do still use DXR.
So, I am satisfied with the answers to my questions today and I'm looking forward to getting the delayed intensification behind us.
Poor Mollie has to get PEG-asparaginase shots on Halloween!! Maybe she'll still feel like trick or treating in the wagon.
Ouch! No fair getting PEG on holidays. It's like having to have a full day of Clinic on your birthday. (Which we will be avoiding due to it falling on Saturday this year.)
ReplyDeleteMollie is a little further along the path than Alyson and I appreciate the heads up on the possible cardiac issues. It gives me more time to do the due diligence. (I too am a scientist. The more information I have the more confident I feel during this process.)
Thanks for stopping by our story. I've added you in to our blogroll, which I hope is ok.
Love to you, Mollie, Lucy and your honey.
S, you are such an amazing mom and such a smart lady. and i love the photos. how did you do the horizontal collage? photoshop?
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. It really does help to contact other families going through the same thing. I started reading your blog from the beginning and my heart sunk when I read that Alyson was a "slow responder". But I'm glad the protocols are designed to recognize this and deal with it specifically. And really glad that she did achieve remission!!
Nea,
Thanks! I did the collage in photoshop. I was trying to crop all the images to the same size and decided it would be easy to save them all in one file.
Sarah I am so proud of you and Matt, of course Mollie too. I was so impressed with the way all of you handle everything. I wish I could be there right now to help you guys through this next week, but I am very glad I was able to come when I did. Your girls are so wonderful and I miss them so much it hurts. I love you guys and will keep praying.
ReplyDeleteSarah I am so proud of you and Matt, of course Mollie too. I was so impressed with the way all of you handle everything. I wish I could be there right now to help you guys through this next week, but I am very glad I was able to come when I did. Your girls are so wonderful and I miss them so much it hurts. I love you guys and will keep praying.
ReplyDelete