Abby's Journey Archive

Well, we made it through the rest of Abby's Busulfan chemo fairly well. After her mild seizure on Wednesday, the doctor increased her Dilantin dose (an anticonvulsant). Unfortunately, the increase was a bit too much so by Thursday poor Abby was stumbling around like a drunken sailor and complaining of dizziness and double vision. That is one of the unpleasant side-effects of the Dilantin. They quickly discontinued the Dilantin and now her levels are backing down to the normal range.

Abby continued to tolerate the chemo incredibly well. She only got sick one time and we're thinking it was very likely the high levels of Dilantin in her system.

Abby has been quite a trooper so far. We thought you might enjoy a little photo journal of Abby's Day so you can see and hear about what goes on in a BMT room at UMC. The pictures to the right may appear out of order, depending on where they were in the download order. Just look at the caption to figure out which picture goes with what.

First, and most important, a princess needs plenty of beauty rest. Abby wakes up somewhere around 7-8. Breakfast trays are delivered at around 8:30 and during the Busulfan portion of her chemo, Abby had to be done eating by 9. They wanted her to avoid eating for 1 hour before and 1 hour after taking her oral Busulfan at 10. She had 4 Busulfan doses each day at the 10's and the 4's. Yes, we had to wake her up at 10 pm and 4 am to swallow 2, large capsules. But, she was great about it!

Another important part of Abby's day is mouth care. She has to swish 3 different types of mouth rinses to take care of any bacteria that might worsen the mouth sores she will develop with her neutropenia. She does this 4 times a day. She says the worst one is the one that is salty. Blah!

Abby also has to walk a mile in the unit every day. They have paced it off so that if you walk around the unit 16 times you have completed your mile. Now, what makes the walking a little more challenging is that Abby cannot leave her room until she is gowned and masked. This takes a little extra time, but it keeps her protected from unwanted germs. We decided the best way to keep Abby going with her laps would be to walk a few laps then read a bit by the fish tank. It has been a nice time together. When Abby returns to her room from her walking she has to be sure to wash her hands really well.

Another part of Abby's day right now is taking time to snack, play, write, color watch DVD's and read. She has plenty of toys of her own and borrowed ones from the playroom. Disney was quite generous in stocking the playroom when they came for the Extreme Makeover so Abby is enjoying all the new fun toys. Daniel is also quite enthralled with the giant Buzz Lightyear with wings that pop out and 6 or 7 recorded, VERY LOUD phrases. Daddy and Mommy are pleased that Buzz lives in the playroom and not at our house.

Finally, Abby is really enjoying the princess room. Her bed faces a huge mural of Cinderella among green trees and flowers with her castle in the background. It really is a special treat for Abby. Of course, we have added some of our own personal decorations like butterflies, family pictures, bible verses and Abby's homemade praise cards to remind us of all the wonderful things about God.

We have felt the impact of all of your prayers during our first week here. Thank you so much for lifting us up. We are learning the way things work here, meeting some of the other patient's families, and getting to know our wonderful nurses and staff. Please continue to pray for our lives to be an impact on those around us.

Abby has no chemo today. Tomorrow she gets a one time IV dose of the other chemo drug, Melphalan. On Monday she rests and Tuesday she gets her stem cells. Then, we just wait.

We'll continue to keep you posted.