Game Day

It's a pretty appropriate title for a young woman who has been an athlete all her life. Today was a "Cancer Day" and you know what that means....mom gets to blog.

When we went for our consultation with Kaitlyn's Oncologist, Dr Newton, she told us we could bring things that would make the chemo process easier for Kaitlyn. So, we packed a bag (a big orange and white bag) with all of her creature comforts. There was her Tennessee blanket, her I-pod, magazines, some choice candy and her big water bottle. It was like gathering her equipment to participate in any athletic event.

The first thing to happen was the nurse hooked Kaitlyn up to an intravenous tube thru her port. They hung some anti-nausea medicine and some steroids and let them drip thru. They do this before administering any chemo drugs. Once those are thru, they hung a bag of saline to keep her hydrated and began the chemo. The first chemo drug, Adriamycin, was pushed thru her port. The nurses had Kaitlyn eat a popsicle and chew on ice chips. This is to offset the effects of this drug, which can lead to mouth sores. Kaitlyn, of course, chose an orange popsicle. It's like selecting which bat you use during a softball game.

Because you push the Adriamycin slowly its takes a while to finish the portion of the treatment. On a side note, this drug is bright red and the nurse kept referring to it as the "red devil". Kaitlyn, not being in favor of that, began calling it fruit punch. I liken it to her version of trash talking someone on the basketball court.

Last drug for the day was Cytoxan. It was hung from the IV pole and took probably about 45 minutes for that one to complete. They pulled the iv tube out of her port, put a band-aide over the port and got her ready to go. We packed all her belongings back into her chemo bag and after making our next appointment, we were ready to roll. It's kind of like finishing a volleyball match with a kill.

I don't really know if my sports analogies are any good or not. What I do know is this, Kaitlyn stayed strong thru the whole process. She even learned how to give herself a shot. Twenty-four hours after chemo completes she has to take a shot of Neulasta. It will help rebuild her depleted white blood cell count.

So, she's home resting tonight. Heading to work in the morning. She'll be home again this weekend. We have Lindsey Overmyer's wedding shower to attend and, of course, celebrate Father's Day with her amazing Dad.

Next week we have a break. Kaitlyn is hoping to actually work 5 whole days. Her next chemo doesn't happen until July 1st. Today went well, Kaitlyn did great and it was like a small victory for her. If her Dad had been there, he would have smacked her on the butt and told her "Good Game"!

Keep Praying!

Love, Peace and Hope,
Kaitlyn's Mom