Blood Transfusion and other happenings

Last Thursday, Charlotte finished the last session of her at-home chemo treatment for this cycle. This was the first time we had home health come and deliver chemo. All other times Charlotte has received chemo, it has been up at the oncology clinic at Primary Children's. As predicted, her lovely growth of fuzzy hair has fallen out. Otherwise, she has shown no outward signs of ill effects from the chemo. She did not enjoy being "accessed", the IV tube through which they administer the chemo stayed in her port from Monday to Thursday of last week and the week prior. Charlotte is very protective of her chest whenever she is accessed. She walks with her shoulders hunched forward and her hand carefully holding the dangling IV tube that is about waist level. When you talk to her, she won't straighten to speak back to you, she just turns her head and tilts it upward. With her bald head, hunched back, crooked new teeth and her cheeky grins, she reminds me of the cutest little Igor... I mentioned the likeness to mom, who was properly horrified at her irreverent daughter. But when she came to watch Charlotte while Sean had an appointment elsewhere, she called after and giggled to me that she understood what I was saying.

Charlotte was super happy to be deaccessed on Thursday, and has been running happily around the house. Her CBC showed that her hematocrit was at a 24 last Wednesday. They usually transfuse blood if it is a 20 or below. If she was symptomatic, the clinic nurse offered to transfuse Friday, when she called with the numbers. Symptoms would be headaches, listlessness, lack of energy. Charlotte wasn't displaying any of those, so we agreed to wait until Monday's CBC. 

Last night, she was so energetic after her shower, that she streaked naked around the house with me chasing her with her pajamas. She bounces over my bed and giggling when I pretended to yell, "No naked bums on my bed!!!" I was wondering at the time what her blood work would show, because this really WAS NOT listlessness. I had to corral her into bed to get her to sit still and listen to Ramona Quimby - Age 8. She was so amped up, she decided to keep asking questions throughout the chapter. At one point, she grabs the book, flips to the table of contents, and points out that if Ramona is 8, how come her being baptized isn't one of the chapters? Needless to say, reading took a while to finish the chapter.

This morning, the oncology clinic called and let me know that her levels had dropped to a 16 - they wanted us to bring Charlotte up for a blood transfusion. THANKS TO ALL YOU BLOOD DONORS! I feel bad that I'm not allowed to donate because of my years overseas. When asked if Charly was showing symptoms of being so low, I related to the nurse about the previous night's streaking episode. The nurse couldn't stop laughing. 

Blood transfusions take a while. First, Charly had to go up to Primary's and get type and crossed. Then they order the blood. The nurse said this takes a couple hours. She suggested that Sean and Charly could go elsewhere while they collected the blood and they would call when it was ready. Then, once Charly returns for her transfusion, it takes an hour or so to receive. Finally, they watch her for 30-40 minutes to see if she develops an allergic reaction to the blood. The more times she receives blood, the more likely it will be she develops a reaction to the blood. By my count, this is her third or fourth transfusion. The others were all back in August of last year. It's almost an all-day time commitment. We'll hear if the docs think there is anything else to be concerned about. Barring complications like today's, Charly will have a 2 week break. She goes back in for another lumbar puncture and round of chemo on Feb 7.