Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas......desperately overdue post... sorry!
We have been having a fantastic time and the 'C' word was banned until Boxing day when round 4 of the chemotherapy began... hence the silence. Lola has been incredibly well for 3 weeks now. Even when she had a line infection during the week before Christmas, and spent time in Ipswich hospital, she had energy, humour and even a small appetite. She responded well to the anti-biotics and thankfully didn't need anything more serious done. We were allowed to to and fro daily for treatment and ended up having an amazing adventure together in the snow when we got stuck on the Orwell Bridge! All was clear on the way to the hospital at 730pm but by the time we left at 9pm, in the midst of a blizzard, the roads were almost unrecognisable. A lorry jack-knived on the Bridge and all the cars behind it were stranded until 230am... including Lola and I. Luckily we had lots of fuel, blankets and a mobile. Lola hopped into the back seat and promptly fell asleep quite happily. Thanks to Manda and Paul for giving us a bed when we escaped from the bridge!!

I thought it was too much to hope for to have Lola home for Christmas Day, but we made it. We spent Christmas Eve singing carols at Pinmill Sailing Club... thank you for the VIP parking space... and later, three exhausted girls hung out their stockings and were asleep by 11pm. At 630 the next morning all three piled into bed with me and I watched through the one eye that would open as they tore through Santa's gifts and then sprinkled sherbert and chocolate over the sheets. I have honestly never enjoyed Christmas Morning so much... it's certainly true that you appreciate everything so much more at times like this. We ate chocolate for breakfast and played with Sylvanians and games until lunchtime. Thank you for all the presents we received... not sure if the bedroom doors will ever close again!

Lola has coped wonderfully with the chemotherapy this time. She is incredibly independent and knows an awful lot more than I do about the machinery she is constantly attached to. Her nasal gastric tube was replaced on Tuesday, something she was really afraid of, but she seems to have over-come her fear and can now adjust it herself.

We learnt about stem cell harvesting today from Amos, the Paediatric Oncologist. One of the treatment paths following surgery involves a particularly fierce, one-off dose of chemotherapy from which the body is unable to recover without cells regenerated from its own bone marrow. In order that Lola has the option of this treatment should she need it, Addenbrooks will be gathering stem cells from her blood at some point next week. Today she had a tiny canula fitted to her leg and every day for a week she will need to have an injection called GCSF which encourages the bone marrow to generate neutrophils and stem cells. On the 5th or 6th of January she will be rigged up to a machine which spins her blood and removes a collection of stem cells which are then stored for later use. Hopefully, they will be able to harvest enough that the procedure will not need repeating next month. I feel constantly amazed by the incredible things that can be done to help Lola recover.

One more night at Addenbrooks as everything is running late here. The poor nurses are looking flushed and a little bit harrassed as C2 is full to bursting, but they still make time for everyone...they are fantastic.
Home in the morning.... we can't wait!!