Yesterday, what could be Julia’s final round of chemo began. We got to clinic early Monday morning and Julia’s port was accessed. A blood test was completed first. Julia’s counts recovered well with the extra week off treatment. After an examination with Dr. Julie, she was given clearance to receive chemo this week – the three day round of Carboplatin and Etoposide.
Dr. Julie told us that Julia will have a full round of scans in about four weeks after this round of chemo. They want to make sure that Julia’s counts fully recover before the scans are completed. If all the scans are clear, this will be Julia’s last round of chemo!
Julia had a good first day of chemo. Her energy level was good through the infusion and she was excited to be able to Skype with her class. We spent some time in the afternoon making chocolate-covered strawberries for Valentine’s Day. But as the day went on, Julia’s energy began to wane. She spent most of the evening lying on the sofa resting.
“My belly hurts and my ‘hug meter’ is low” were the first words Julia said as she woke this morning. Even though Julia slept through the night, her dark circles were more pronounced – the chemo had taken hold. After getting a big hug from Mom, Julia slowly got dressed for the day. It was a rough morning, with Julia getting sick soon after she came downstairs.
Julia received her second treatment today, getting sick again when she received her flush at the end of treatment (Julia complains that the taste of the flush makes her sick). Even though she tried to Skype during class today, Julia was too tired and fell asleep during the class.
Julia was really looking forward to Valentine’s Day, so she went to school this afternoon to join her class for their Valentine’s Party. She loved seeing her friends and looking at all the Valentine’s she received. We also stopped by the Malvern School to drop off a few Valentine’s cards.
After the second day of chemo, all this afternoon festivities were exhausting. When we got home from our visits, Julia walked straight upstairs, changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. “I just want to rest and watch a little TV, Mom”, but soon after lying her head on the pillow, Julia was asleep. The chemo is taking its toll and wearing down Julia’s body– hopefully all the upcoming scans will be clear and tomorrow will be the last day of chemo.