First Chemotherapy Treatment

On July 25th, Madi went to her dance class. Her Nana owns a Christian Dance Studio and her Aunt is her teacher. I wanted her to be able to see everyone before her immune system dropped due to the Chemotherapy. The next morning she had surgery for her reservoir and the following day began her chemotherapy. She was given a few different drugs along with the Methotrexate which was injected into her head through the reservoir. She didn't like the shot into her head at all. The chemotherapy ran through the I.V. over a 24 hour period. She had her labs drawn to check her blood levels. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until she got a fever.
This was the beginning of many fevers to come. When the chemotherapy kills cells, it takes time to regenerate new blood cells. When the blood count drops, infections can come in and take over because there are no white blood cells to fight the infection. Madi had to stay in the hospital for 11 days. For 11 days we had the challenge of trying to find something to eat. She still struggled to find something that tasted good. She settled for peanut butter, chocolate milk and french fries. She had the privilage of learning how to play video games and watch movies. She had an entire suitcase filled with crafts and games. We were all so excited to go home on the sixth of August.