Our days / Amanda's schedule

I just gave Amanda her midnight pill and thought that I would take some time to share with you how our days/her treatments are going.

On Tuesday Amanda received a chemo treatment of Methatrexate. Some of you may remember this name..it is the one in which we watch her lab work because we must monitor how quickly it clears her system. As of this mornings labs, Amanda was at 1.8. She would really like to be clear of it by tomorrow (the count must be .09 or below)so she doesn't have to do lab work and wear the backpack over the weekend.

In Columbia this treatment is always done in patient. At MD they allow me to give her the timed drugs and have taught me how to monitor and assess a fluid pump she is attached to and carries with her in a backpack. Each morning we go into MD and they draw her new lab work and replace our fluid pack. At home we take a time released drug to assist with the clearing of the methatrexate. It is so timed that we are to give it within a minute or two of it's assigned time. I set alarms throughout the day and get up through the night to have her take it.

Along with her chemo treatments(she takes an oral chemo each night as well as the scheduled infused ones) Amanda receives radiation each day (Monday - Friday) on the tumor site that is on her spine. Thankfully she has not experienced any burns or reaction from the radiation yet. We are so grateful. The rest of our days include visits with her various Doctors and lab work.

The PICC line that Amanda had placed (instead of re-inserting her port) requires nightly attention. I attended about 4 hours of IV Infusion training and learned how to flush her lines with a heparin infusion to protect her from blood clots. Then I learned how to clean the implant site and replace it's dressing. Each of those two actions required that I demonstrate my ability to an IV technician before I was cleared to do it. Amanda was very patient with me and together we did great. Amanda was really excited that I would take this training because it saves her from having to go to MDACC every 24 hours and having a technician to do it for her.

The days are hectic and the schedule rather demanding, but I am thankful to share with you that Amanda is feeling good and handling all the treatments and the radiation very well. We have so far avoided the nausea that often accompanies chemo, and she has not needed to take any of the pain medicine that they gave us in anticipation of her discomfort. For each day that this remains true, we consider it a direct benefit from the prayers that are given on her behalf.

And somewhere in this crazy schedule Amanda (and Abby) still need to be teenage girls. And so we explore Houston. This afternoon found us at the Galleria Mall, one of the most famous (and largest) malls in the United States. It is very hot and dry here, over 100 degrees most day. (If we could, we would gladly send this sun to our dear family and friends in Iowa that are suffering from terrible flooding...you are in our thoughts and prayers.) Amanda needs to avoid the hot sun while she is receiving chemo and so it was a great excuse to be inside. The girls loved all the unique stores, watching the ice skaters, and of course the great sales that we found. :-) The day ended with us choosing a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory to bring home to share after our supper.

And then our night ends with time around the dining room table,(we are just about to complete our 3rd jigsaw puzzle!)giggles, phone calls and skype with family and friends, and bedtime prayers. And in those prayers we thank God for each of you who are including us in your prayers. We rest in our faith that we are loved and in His love for us we can trust Amanda's future.

In our bedroom are two twin beds. One of the first things we did was push them together. Two of my daughters are sound asleep in there, curled up together. I am ready to go join them. My alarm is set for Amanda's next pill dose, but until then...for the next few hours...snuggled with two of my children - it is my very favorite place in Houston to be.