Weekend Update

I'm back! Ryan and I had a great time this weekend. The actual seminar during the day on Saturday was focused towards couples who have problems in their marriage, and we didn't really feel like it applied to us too much, so we sat in the back row whispering and passing notes like teenagers. Afterwards we went to eat at a nice restaurant on the plaza and ate more than we should have. We even splurged and picked up a piece of cheesecake to go...which Ryan insisted we eat as soon as we got back to the hotel. I wanted to wait, because I was afraid I would make myself sick, ... and I did! I woke up sick in the middle of the night. Oops! My friend Chandra put it well, I was well fed, well loved, and in a five star hotel, is there a better place to get sick? ;)

We returned this morning to find Miss Chelsea happy as ever. She completely wore my mom down, and as usual didn't sleep much; only 9 1/2 hours last night, much shorter than her typical 12 hour nights. Her rash is back, but because we've been giving her benedryl around the clock, it hasn't gotten too bad. I did see the doctors today on rounds. Although I've been in my room awaiting their visit all week (I don't even go tot the bathroom between 10 and 12!) I haven't seen them round since we arrived on Tuesday. I guess they figure we've done this so many times they don't really need to stop in, or maybe it's because they don't like to suit up in their coody gear. I've been wanting to ask a doctor about her heart.

On Thursday, our nurse asked me if Chelsea had a heart murmur. "UH, no, ... why?" She said she thought she heard a murmur, so she listened again, then she said she might just be hearing her breathing funny. I explained that she was born with a hole in her heart, but at 10 months our cardiologist gave us the all clear. Although her hole hadn't closed completely, it had shrunk significantly, and she couldn't even hear a murmur anymore. She assured us this tiny hole would not cause any cardiac problems later in life, and she was hopeful it would completely close in the future. In fact no doctor we've seen has been able to hear a murmur since she was a baby, and we've seen many doctors since then!

So the nurse listened again and didn't hear it, but of course I was still worried. When we began chemo we were warned of all the side effects, and we knew the toxicity of the drugs can cause some individuals with Down syndrome to need heart transplants later in life. So each nurse we've had since then I've asked them to listen to her very carefully, and none of them has been able to hear the "murmur". I explained everything to the attending this morning and he listened to her and he too, heard nothing. Whew...I was sure it had to be something else that one nurse heard. Then I was extremely relieved to hear the attending explain that when chemotherapy effects your heart, it doesn't usually show up in the form of a heart murmur. ***sigh*** That was great news. To be honest, I can't even remember what he said after that. They did an echocardiogram before we began chemo and we will do another one at some point during her treatment, but I'm not sure when. I'll check with the doctors this week, but I think it isn't until after round 5, or possibly after our final round.

Tonight I talked to Logan on the phone, *I miss that kid so much* and he was so sweet. He asked me if I could call Grandma Barb and have her go to the hospital and stay with Chelsea and I could go home, then drive back to the hospital tomorrow. Bless his heart, he just wants me to come home for one night...he'd be happy with just ONE night (sniff sniff). Oh how I wish I could just pop in and out, I wish we lived just a little big closer. Ryan has a busy couple of days at the first of the week, but if things slow down at work, he's going to try and bring my little guy up here to visit one night. Oh how I would love that!

So tomorrow we begin a new work week, which means a new attending rounding on 4 Henson. Hopefully they'll stop in a little more often this week, if nothing more than to just say hello! One more week of isolation, she'll be released next Monday, Feb. 18...just about the time her counts should be bottoming out and she'll be feeling super yucky. So no we begin 'count recovery'.... Of course her counts haven't even had a chance to drop yet, so we have to watch them fall before they'll recover, and so starts the waiting game, round 4.