The calm before the next storm storm...

1400 16/10/09

The majority of the Chemo drugs went in over the 1st 4 days fromThursday 8/10/09 & there will be one more lot on day 7 of the cycle & that will be it. So when the chemo goes in she experienced vomiiting as a result & that was mostly dealt with by anti sickness drugs, however they do not completely stop her from being sick. On about day 5 the sickness had all stopped & she has been on good form with no major hicups...aside from some spectacular 2 year old tantrums. Yesterday, Thurs 15/9, was day 7 & the last of the drugs went in & as expected she was sick overnight mixed in with a good dose of diarrhoea..part time for the overnight shift! All to be expected.

So thats the 1st lot of chemo drugs done & dusted..the next stage is waiting for the chemo drugs to do their stuff & then the 'other' side effects which are mainly to do with blood levels. Basically the white cells & platelets at some point will head south a rapid rate. To what extent for Anouk we will find out, but we can expect possible fevers & other things to kick in. You then hit a low point for all of this get a few more drugs to make you feels slightly less shit & then when the blood levels are at an acceptable level it's onwards & upwards for another cycle. That won't start until at least 21 days after the previous cycle started & it can be up to 28 depending on how she is going etc.

So on a good note... at 4pm on Wednesday 14/10 Anouk was cut free from all her lines & " wally the trolley". This enabled her to run around & cause havoc! We played races around the corridors with her going one way & me the other. As the good father I would hang back & listen to the nurses have chat & trying work out where the hell I was...great fun! It was the same for the next morning as she had the drip & feed over night so she was able to peanut butter my toast & take a few calls?

Claire came for visit & basically took control which allowed me to go & have a shower & feel half human. there are 2 reasons why she could be let free..1 her food had been on for 24hrs so she needed a break & 2..A drip type of fluid is used to flush a chemo drug out of her system & once it has it can come of..so we now know that she will have to have the drip during & for about 2 days after the 1st lot of drugs.

It was the same situation the next morning so I got her to peanut butter up my toast & take a few calls. It make a world of difference when she can walk/run around without any f...ing lines attached.Kelli visited up with Sophie on Thursday morning 15/10, which was great because anyone that comes in is a very welcomed distraction for her & gives a chance to have a break, poo or even a shower. Anouk is very needy at the moment & life for her in this Hospital is like being in a very small apartment when it's raining outside 24/7 & there nowhere for her to go. The options are the ward, playroom..closed at nights or the corridors around the place, no suitable outside places. So like anyone would, she gets bored & spend about 2mins on any one thing..if your lucky. So not the best in terms of environment & also the nurses are hit & miss. Anouk is very wary of them as most of them make very few attempts to bond with her. They don't seem to look at the situation & say....being a 2 yo she can't communicate like someone who's 5 so we need to have a different approach...you even have to force some of them to say hello when they come & see her. From our point of view it's not a matter of thinking we are different to anyone else, because we are not...it is a case of what comes across as bad communication on some nurses part.

Jenny one of Catherine's good friends in Melbourne described it like this..."Hospitals are the most eye-opening experience from the other side of the fence. Full of genuinely lovely people who all function to their own schedules and requirements…. Patient centered care, or family centered care, is still something of a lovely dream..."

At times so bloody true! Rant over now...feel much better.