Wed. March 23rd

This is the 70th Blog!  Who would have thought we would see this day so quickly:)! 

We began this morning bright and early again with a blood test, then we were off to dermatology.  Michellie's rash is thought to be part of the chemo, so they are going to monitor it for another 6 weeks and then decide if they need to do anything further.  Off to a nurses meeting where we went over all that has happened so far.  Michellie has definitely been an exception to all the treatments with all kinds of side effects they haven't seen, so this was interesting.  The nurse did recommend that it would be about 6 months before she would begin to really feel like her old self again - such as that was, and that we will just have to go slowly with each new thing.  She did recommend seeing physiotherapy for some ideas of what progression to work with to gain back strength and endurance, so this is tomorrow. 

We waited for the Oncology Doctor to go over the scans a few times before we saw her.  Because Michellie has been such a different case, they really have been consulting each other to decide on the next courses of action.  Her PET and CT scan was relatively clear.  The spot on the back on the right side of her neck that was vibrant last time, was gone completely.  Her chest was totally clear.  There was an indication of something on the left sideof her neck in two lymph nodes, which should not be Hodgkins as she responded so quickly to the chemo.  As well, it was not present before, so it shouldn't be growing now.  So, it could be an little infection or something going through the system.  They have to think on that.  Because the Hodgkins has cleared out for the scans, they are not sure what to do about radiation.  The doctors are still meeting in LA at a big conference and they are reviewing the latest research and consulting with each other on the interesting cases, like Michellie.  We decided that we would wait until the whole team could meet to discuss her case next Wednesday at their weekly meeting and see what everyone felt was the best option.  We will wait if it means any chance that we can eliminate the radiation.  Other good news, the scans are showing no damage to her lungs and heart at this point, and they will monitor this for any long term side effects, but everything is looking as it should and her blood counts are all back to normal.  She will have to be careful of infection for another 6 months, but then her body should have regained its normal resiliency.

We followed up this appointment with a visit to the dentist for a cleaning.  We have before and after pictures and we will post those when we get home.  Michellie's teeth stains from the mouth rinse are now gone and she has pearly whites again.  You should see her smile now!

We also met with the people from Sunshine Kids and we are going to accept their offer for Michellie to join them in Washington in May.  The doctors believe that she should be ok for the trip even with radiation, so we are going to go for it as this offer only comes around every 18 months or so.  Michellie is a little apprehensive about being that far from us, but she is excited to have time with some peers.  So, she is going to brave it and go for it.  This was exciting today.

Lastly, we celebrated at Darryl's Hamburger Joint after all the appointments.  We are wrapped up in the radiation, but she has definitely eradicated that Hodgkins!  Yes!!!  Afterwards, for the first time in 4 months, we went to the mall shopping.  Michellie was so excited to find some new scarves for her head cover, and some spring outfits to think about the beach weather just around the corner.  It was great to be shopping with my daughter and celebrating that spring was going to be a new beginning for her.  I was proud to walk beside her and share in the whole shopping experience.  *Sigh*  It is great to be a parent.  David agrees as he celebrated at home when we called!