Livi's Latest

As I sit here in the sunlit hospital room, I look at our little Livi Love lying peacefully in her hospital bed. 1 week and two days has been a long time. She is frail, not quite reaching 30lbs, puffy chipmunk cheeks, from the steroids, and dark circles under her eyes tell a story of the difficult last couple of months. But she is BRAVE and knows that Heavenly Father is real and is there to help her. The most difficult thing a mom could ever hear was spilt from Livi's lips the other night in prayer. "Bless me to be brave so the pokes won't hurt, and bless that I can be healthy and go home from this hospital." It broke my heart, and at the same time made me want to rejoice to know that she knows Christ can carry her burdens and she's not alone.

Olivia received her "peg legs", as the other kids refer to them, on Sunday. They are an intramuscular chemo-therapy shot, one to each thigh, done simultaneously. The actual name of the chemo is Peg asparginase (Bill calls it the asparagus shot!). This shot will be given 2 times during therapy, unless she was allergic, then she would have received shots every other day! Thank goodness she wasn't allergic! She did really well and, as the cna recommended, screamed as loud as she could when it happened.

Sunday night, because her hemoglobin had started to fall, she received her first blood transfusion. Hearing Dr. Bernstein tell me that was a blow. It was an awkward reminder of the position we are in. He assured me that there was nothing to worry about, especially since the blood wasn't from Las Vegas. (If your wondering what that's about, google blood scare in Las Vegas.) Besides the night nurse having some issues getting the transfusion set up, it went well and Monday we did see a lot more energy out of Livi. It was a welcome change. Even her appetite is beginning to increase. Although we don't quite see the demand for steaks at 2am (which Dr. B. promised will come) we'll celebrate her finishing most of a taco bell burrito.

With the transfusion came another cbc with differential. (cbc=complete blood count) Dr. Bernstein was very pleased...when she came in on Mother's Day he found 4 blasts, or leukemia cells, in the smears that were taken. After the transfusion he found NONE! Now, that's not to say it's out of her blood, it just means that it's getting harder to find because there's less of it. (Specifically why it was never found in her blood tests previously.) We are very happy with that news!!! Tomorrow, Wednesday, she has another bone marrow scan, this one I will definitely NOT be a part of. (The last one I was unexpectedly caught in the room during the procedure with no where to turn except a storage area faced with glass panels which gave me a perfect view of the "coring"action that was taking place on my daughter's backside!) Anyways, If tomorrow's scan shows less than 5% of blasts in her marrow she gets to skip the day 14 bone marrow! Keep us in your prayers

Even with the test in the morning, tomorrow will be a good day. Livi's due to be discharged! As long as nothing changes or SPIKES! Hopefully next time I post, will be from the comforts of our home with ability to post beautiful pictures.