Determination & Faith

Shayla will be starting Round 11 tomorrow (that really brings us to the low countdown!). However, Dr. Chang was skeptical that it would be happening on schedule. Let me back up to last Thursday's lab visit for the routine blood test....

Shayla's counts were quite low on Thursday. Low enough to be 'neutropenic'. When I asked about the schedule for Monday's lab and possible admit for chemo, the nurse couldn't find orders in the chart. So she asked Dr. Chang. Well, Dr. Chang was at the desk so Shayla and I were privy to the conversation between the nurse and Dr. Chang. She was certain that Shayla would not be starting chemotherapy on Monday (September 15th) due to her low blood counts. Shayla asked, "but what if my counts are high enough by Monday?" Dr. Chang's response was "they won't be", and even if they were, Shayla wouldn't be off her Neupogen shot (promotes bone marrow production) long enough to start chemo on Monday. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. Well, Shayla wasn't going to take it so easily, so she said, "but what if my counts are high enough by the weekend and I don't need the Neupogen on Sunday??"

I think by this time Dr. Chang realizes that Shayla is really in control of more than most patients. She won't take no for a final answer if there are possibilities to consider the 'yes' or 'maybe' options. So, as a compromise, Dr. Chang told Shayla to continue her Neupogen until Saturday, go to the hospital for a blood test, and then call the 'on call' doc to get results and find out if Neupogen can be stopped.

Following Orders:
On Saturday I took Shayla to St. Alphonsus RMC to have the blood drawn. Guess what? The phlebotomists are not nurses, so they are not permitted to draw anything out of nor put anything into Shayla's port access line! The tech put a turniquette around Shayla's arm to find the vein and that led to a tearful situation for her. After some tense moments for Shayla, and some finagelling by the tech, a nurse from the oncology floor was summoned to Shayla's rescue. The blood was drawn via her port and we were on our way. MENTAL NOTE: No more blood draws to be scheduled at St. Al's unless Dad goes with to draw it! By the way, I did write a note of commendation for the tech who did his best to find a solution to the dilemma we faced!

By early afternoon I called Dr. Camilo (on call this weekend, much to Shayla's chagrin) for the results. He had to call to get the numbers and call me back. When he did the news was (as expected) good. Shayla's H&H (Hemaglobin and Hematocrit levels) are good and her neutrophils are at 800-above where they needed to be by 50 in order to continue with chemo as scheduled.
The Moral to this story? Don't underestimate the power of a determined spirit full of faith. Or in other words: Don't mess with Shayla! She knows what she wants and will work to get it!

There you have it. Shayla and Jase will probably head into MSTI early in the morning (will have to call at 8:00 for the appointment time). We hope and pray she will be able to start her chemo soon. The sooner it starts, the sooner they get to come home and tuck one more under her belt of victory!

During her last chemo session we commissioned a dear friend, Amy Fife, to paint a mural on Shayla's bedroom wall. It is her favorite picture, a black horse running on the beach. It is a beautiful photo (you can Google it online and find it under "black horse running on beach"). Well, Amy did such a fantastic job! Take a look at the pictures to the right of the blog entries to see how it came together. Shayla was very surprised to find her room a bit rearranged and different when she came home!

How can we experience the blessings, big and small, we receive every day without acknowledging that Heavenly Father lives and knows us each personally and wants to bless us? There are so many people who have been God's instruments in making the burden lighter, easier to bear, or maybe just walked with us a few steps of the journey to let us know we aren't alone. Thank you to each of you for your prayers, your meals, your gifts for 'something fun' for the family. Our words are unsufficient to express how much it all helps!
Thank you. The French Family