Madeleine is Well Again

The last week has been a slow and steady recovery and Madeleine is doing much better. Her white blood cell count is now within normal range, red blood cell is a little on the low side, and her platelet count is up and down but considered stable. Her belly has reduced down to normal and 12 centimeters have come off her waistline. Her ileus is almost completely resolved as she is passing gas rather than trapping it in her bowels, and we're just waiting for another stool or two before they will clear her to breastfeed again and reduce or discontinue her IV nutrition. Believe it or not, I'm still pumping several times a day in order for her to continue breastfeeding. Last Sunday I mentioned she had a checklist to complete before going home:


Heal with her belly and gut ü 
Clear all the fluid from her lungs without further ailment ü
MRI's of her brain and spine - scheduled for Monday, 3/12
Another lumbar puncture - scheduled for Thursday, 3/15
A surgery to replace her CVC - the line in her chest - scheduled for Monday 3/12
Be completely off the morphine and IV nutrition - we started weaning off the morphine yesterday, 5-6 days process  
Be 100% recovered - ALMOST THERE! :)

The MRI's on Monday will examine her brain again for the remaining piece of tumor, the size of the ventricles, other markers of her hydrocephalus and evidence of disease to serve as yet another baseline going into the next cycle of chemo and to determine the safety of the next lumbar puncture. The LP will be done next week as well to ensure that the chemo is working and the disease has not metastasized through the cerebral fluid.  They will check her kidney and liver functions as well as her hearing all next week (One of the main side effects to the chemo is loss of hearing; Madeleine will very likely need hearing aids as she grows up and into adulthood). 


So next week is a big week; this weekend she'll continue to rest and recover her bowels and hopefully eliminate whatever pain is residual from the mucositis and ileus. I hope to get home for a day and spend some quality time with Annalise while Madeleine is doing well and Daddy can care for her without me. We'll also be praying and keeping our fingers crossed for next weekend at home all of us together, our cherished little breaks away from the hospital.