A New 'do; a bit of 'over-do' today

Shayla's first 1/2 day home from the hospital! She and Jase arrived home around 1:00 a.m. and Shayla went right up to her new bedroom (now sharing with her youngest sister so she can be closer to Mom and Dad's room should she need anything during the night). She woke this morning glad to have been back home. She doesn't like the hospital rooms at all--too dry.

Shayla went to look at and try on wigs today (a gift from one of her 'best buds'). I will post a few pictures if she will let me. She tried on several, and then I saw her reflection in the mirror and she kind of wilted right in front of my eyes. I knew she had had too much activity so soon after her first treatment. She called it quits and we came home. She will return to make her final choice once she is feeling better.

Today my biggest concern for Shayla is to keep her drinking fluids. She has little to no appetite, but she is not drinking enough, either. I think the most we could get her to drink today would total a 0.5 liter bottle of water!

As we were warned, one of the chemo drugs can cause jaw pain. It does for Shayla. Consequently, chewing becomes a chore she would rather not do. Swallowing is also harder today because her ears are now popping when she does (with her nose being plugged, the swallowing is as if she is doing so under water--lots of pressure). We did find out that I could massage her jaws, right by the ears, and she got some relief. She even drank some fruit slushy I pureed in the blender.

Shayla is still very tired much of the day. Hopefully she will start getting her strength up more each day. Say an extra prayer that she will start drinking more fluids to get her strength back.

Army Invasion: Yesterday we had a small but valiant army infiltrate our headquarters! It was a sly undertaking, but they managed to scrub and scour and disinfect the whole house (except for a couple of impenetrable bedrooms)!! The battle scene was a site to behold! carpets were vacuumed, baseboards, window sills and toilets were scrubbed. Even the refrigerators were infiltrated and all signs of 'long overdue left-overs' were eradicated. Jase was still at the hospital with Shayla and I was at work while the allied forces marched in and conquered! I knew they were coming, but the breadth and scope of their accomplishments were overwhelming! So, I say THANK YOU to that little band of angels who came to the rescue to make the place ready for Shayla to be home in a cleaner place (J.L., A.S., S.P., and P.C.)