Ugh.

Yesterday was one of the worst days Mollie has had in a long time. She feels crummy from the steroids, crummy from her cough/infection, and the weather is cold and overcast. She ended up sleeping most of the day. We went out to run some errands and I tried to entice her into going to the library, the toy store, or just to lunch, but she wouldn't have any of it. She just wanted to go home. Later in the day she got angry at me for not taking her to her Daisy scouts meeting (even though she was sound asleep during the whole time the meeting was taking place). I hadn't even mentioned the meeting and I was really surprised she remembered it.

She's very teary, emotional, and tired. I have a feeling today will be more of the same- it's day #3 of 5 for the steroids. It's hard to see Mollie feeling so bad and even harder to try to deal with a very energetic, happy toddler at the same time!

Clinic Update

Mollie got her monthly IV vincristine today and has started her steroid pulse. She did fine with the port access and we were actually done by noon (a minor miracle). But... we still had to get prescriptions filled afterwards. These clinic days are LONG.

Mollie's ANC (neutrophil count) is much lower than it was a few days ago (1100), but she is not neutropenic. Neutrophils are the infection-fighting white blood cells. This lower count means we need to be extra careful about infections because if she does get one, she will likely become neutropenic and may end up in the hospital. She's still very congested and doesn't have a lot of energy.

We will probably hold her out of school for the rest of the week; we need to get her feeling better!

Another Day, Another Clinic Visit

Not today, thank goodness. Mollie stayed home from school today because we felt she needed a little more recovery time before her chemo tomorrow. She had a pretty good day, but she missed school. Her teacher sent home some activities that she worked on; we did some jigsaw puzzles and ran some errands, but I could tell she missed going to school.

Tomorrow morning we head back to clinic for her chemo and she begins her 5-day steroid pulse. Those dreaded steroids should also help with the sinus inflammation.

I'll update from the clinic tomorrow.

In other news, I got a phone call from the former director of the pediatric ER about the medication mix up on Saturday. He has forwarded this information to the new director (I didn't realize there had been a change) and she is supposed to follow up with me this week and we will file a formal complaint. I'm still angry about the situation. That nurse didn't follow protocol; if she had, she would have realized that Mollie was not supposed to get Benadryl, and there would have been no problem. The nurses in clinic ask Mollie her name and birthdate every time they do anything; then, before they give her any medication, they ask me if she has any allergies. Every time. They also told me that they have one patient who IS allergic to Benadryl...

Again with the fever!

Not too happy about being hooked up to an IV again!

Waiting in clinic.

Mollie spiked a fever last night at 3 AM, so we knew we were in for a clinic visit today. She was also feeling dizzy and "wobbly" (although she was laying down so I'm not sure what she meant by that). I gave her Tylenol and Zofran; it got her fever down and let her go back to sleep. Of course, the light in the kitchen burnt out and I slammed my finger in the cabinet, plus I had the clinic visit on my mind, so I had a hard time going back to sleep!

We spent the day in clinic and the NP thinks Mollie has a sinus infection or inflammation. She received another dose of rocephin through her port (another needle stick, with one more to look forward to on Weds.) and is starting a two week course of oral antibiotics. We're hoping this clears up all the yuckies, including the bouts of dizziness.

We had a lovely day yesterday, though. We took a family walk at a local park in the nice fall weather. Mollie seemed to really enjoy the sunshine and being outdoors. Today is a different story- it's been pouring for 8 hours straight. I'm glad we spent today in clinic and not yesterday!

Drumroll, please....

The winners of the Light the Night T-shirts are:

Jessica Roberts
Kathy Mertz
Gail Franssen
Justin Shimek
Sally and Darryl Phillips
Anita Roberts

Be looking for your T-shirt in the mail!

We're going to have to have another giveaway soon... the random name drawing was very exciting for Mollie and Lucy!

Fever (Now Updated)

Well, I am writing this post from the ER. Mollie awoke with a fever and cough this morning; we were directed here since the clinic isn't open on the weekends. She is receiving rocephin (antibiotic) right now, and we are waiting on a CBC. As long as her counts are good, she will not be admitted.

We haven't been to the ER in a while and now I am reminded why I hate it. The rooms are uncomfortable and it is really, really busy today. Once we actually got into a room, the first thing they did was make a mistake! A nurse walked in and gave Mollie a dose of Benedryl... instead of Tylenol! It happened so fast, I didn't even realize it until after she swallowed it. Now, I feel like I need to stand guard a the door and ask a million questions before anyone comes in. And, of course, I've made several phone calls to file complaints.

It was also a very difficult port access. The two nurses who did it were wonderful, but they couldn't get a blood flash on the first try, when Mollie was sitting in a chair. They wanted her to lay on the exam table to try a second time. Mollie is not used to this and *freaked out*. But, they got it on the second try and once everything was in place, Mollie said she didn't even feel them put the needle in!

Right now, she's watching Snow White, coloring, and waiting for the rocephin IV to finish. We all just want to go home. We are hoping and praying that Mollie's counts come back fine.

So, the update. Mollie's ANC is over 2000 (2160), which is good. All the docs are thinking this is some kind of upper respiratory viral infection (pretty much like the last 2 times she has had fever). She's home playing with some new (pink) Legos now. She is in good spirits and probably just needs a little time to rest and recuperate. The "plan" is for us to check with oncology on Monday and if she seems better, we will go in on Weds. as planned for her monthly chemo.

Will draw the winners of the t-shirts tomorrow.

Special Person

Mollie was the "special person of the day" for her class yesterday. She got to do a couple of special things, including show and tell. I was surprised that she wanted to bring in a picture of herself with no hair and a picture of Lucy and her together. She brought a small album of photos from January and February, when her hair was just starting to grow back in. She said her friends ooohed and awwwed at the pictures and then she said, "Wow, I am a hero!"

Mollie wasn't feeling well last night or this morning, but she seems great this afternoon. The star lab, a mobile planetarium, was at her school today. Sounds like she really enjoyed learning about constellations. She has a Daisy scout event tomorrow: picking up trash in a local nature park. She's looking forward to wearing her boots and helping the Earth.

We got Boo'd yesterday! That's where a neighbor leaves a little Halloween treat bag on your porch and you have to make treat bags for two other neighbors until the whole neighborhood has been Boo'd. Kinda cheesy, but Mollie really loved making and delivering the treat bags to other neighbors this afternoon.

Don't forget to leave a comment on yesterday's post by Friday night for a chance to win a Light the Night T-shirt!