Hmmm, does this t-shirt make me looklike I could ditch the NG tube?
Ready for action
Has it really been over a week since I updated?!?!?! Bad blogger!
We’ve had a blessedly uneventful week. Gianni has been her joyful self. Daddy even looks a bit harried at the end of the day, she is running him ragged.
Our first Monday clinic post-admit was uneventful and Tony took her solo on Thursday for her blood draw and chemo bump - - - whoops “we” forgot about the chemo bump and had her de-accessed before seeing Trish for the chemo. No worries, I had to take her to the day hospital on Friday for a RBC transfusion anyway, she was able to catch up with the chemo then.
Tony felt good enough about her well being (even on a chemo week) to hike himself and Bruno up to the cabin this weekend. This meant another girls weekend for Gianni and me – Saturday we decided to hit the zoo and had a great time. With all the amazing and wonderful animals at the zoo, I think her favorites were the turtles and the turkeys. She had a bit of emesis and some NG issues on Sunday so we just laid low until the boys arrived home Sunday afternoon. Sunday night we crashed Auntie Jen and Uncle Timmy’s for some quality food and play time with Jessica.
Tony and Gianni made it to yesterday’s clinic solo again; also uneventful. Trish called Monday afternoon and told me I’d get a gold star if I could guess Gianni’s “numbers” – I don’t know whether to be totally proud or completely depressed, I hit every number on the button. So the upshot is that her counts are where we expected them to be – and no more s-h-o-t this cycle! We removed the “arm band-aid” (sub-Q catheter) after dinner and all did a little family jig to celebrate “no more owies” for Gianni. Actually the sub-Q band-aid worked pretty well, I’m not sure Gianni gets any relief from shot anxiety but it sure helps me!
Funny Bruno: I brought Gianni with me to pick up Bruno from school the other day. There was a new parent (had not yet met Gianni) who could not take their eyes off of Gianni’s bald little head and finally asked her what had happened. Bruno quickly interjected and said, “Gianni had to shave her head, she lost a bet.”
Last weekend at around 2 am Sunday morning I’m watching TV and a commercial for the upcoming “Brain Tumor Walk and Angel Adventure® - A Walk and Community Day to support the brain tumor cause” in San Francisco grabs my attention (What . . . are you talking to me?!?). I felt like someone had just walked into our home and slapped me upside the head – of course I was going to participate! Now that our family is putting one foot in front of the other again, it is time to put that forward motion to work. I am participating in this walk to support the fundraising efforts for the National Brain Tumor Foundation and to help make a difference in the fight against brain tumors (and because I have so much free time, I’d just go crazy sitting at home on a Saturday afternoon with nothing else to do!). If you’d like to learn more, just follow this link http://www.firstgiving.com/giannigheno, or the link at the top right hand corner of this page.
Bless you all for your thoughts, prayers, wishes, and hospital goodies (especially puppet theater, homemade cards, and jewelry – you know who you are!). We are filled with gratitude.
