First Round of Chemo is Complete

Julia came home last night with her IV in place. We had to flush the line during the night to make sure it stayed clear. Not having a port in place makes the chemo much more difficult to give. We are trying to avoid Julia getting too many “pokes” and keeping the IV in place overnight can help. Julia finished her 5th chemo treatment today. This chemo is much harder on her and she is having some side effects already. Mornings are met with nausea and vomiting. Her energy level is still good, but she does get tired more quickly. She is more content with playing quietly, rather than running around. As the day progresses, Julia’s appetite picks up and she has been eating a good dinner. We will give her Zofran tonight to help with the nausea. We will also supplement with Adavant (another medication for nausea). Bactrim, an antibiotic, is once again being given (two times per week) as a precaution for pneumonia. We need to go back to clinic tomorrow. Julia will get an injection of Neulasta (a drug to help boost white blood cell counts and offset infection). Then it is two weeks of checking her blood counts before the next round begins. We have been told that we can expect Julia’s counts to get much lower than on her previous chemo regiment. This chemo will also affect her platelet counts and we need to watch for bleeding. Julia continues to smile. She is just amazing.