Emma play date

Alexis's friend Emma that we met in the hospital is back in St. Louis getting treatment. It is outpatient, but since her family lives so far away and she gets daily treatment, they are staying in a hotel. So, we invited them over to our house for a little play date and break from the hotel life. The girls had a great time playing. Games, dolls, and even just running around...love these two and their friendship.

Oncology and Neuro Check ups

Alexis had a check up today with both her oncologist and neurologist. We started before either of those at the clinic to get blood drawn. Alexis did great, and only cried a little compared to what she used to do with blood draws for her thyroid levels. Not certain if that is good that she is doing better with needles or sad that she has been poked so many times that she is now immune.

We then met with the oncologist. They asked about the seizures that Alexis had and continues to have after the last intrathecal chemo. They have decided to switch to a different chemo for the next rounds to see if that makes a difference. Everything else was status quo. We also got the blood level results. Her counts were all stable and and her ANC just above 500, which gave her clearance to return to school. She's been out for about a month and a half, so will be good for her to get back to the routine. 

Next visit was with the neurologist. He fully examined Alexis. We talked about how she had several seizures for the few days after the last intrathecal chemo. We increased the meds, and she continued to have them for a few days. Then, we didn't see any for a couple days. Monday she had a few. He also tested her strength. The conclusion was that A) he would like to hold off from increasing her meds again even though she is having a few seizures and b) he is concerned about her continued weakness. He thinks she has become considerably more weak since her last thorough exam in oct. He believes this is the result of the vincristine. He thinks increased therapy will help. He also would like to keep an eye on things to make certain she doesn't start dropping her foot, choking on food, or having one side be worse than the other. So, we will confine to watch for those further effects from vincristine or worsening seizures. Not fun things to look for, but grateful she isn't that bad yet.