Great News!
It has been a great day for Emily! She has her own schedule. She has worked on crafts this morning, ate a little , took a nap, done more crafts, ate a little, took a nap, etc. Its 11:15 pm and she is looking at a JC Penny magazine before going to bed. We have done this schedule all day today and yesterday. She is in a great mood. She is still on her antibiotics and she had platelets today. No vomiting for the last three days!!!! We have had some great news late this afternoon. She has been monitored the last two days with the pressure ICP, which measures output of spinal fluid. She did great yesterday as they gradually increased the pressure during the day and night. They have been doing pressure increase changes during the week, and early this morning her EVD (external ventricular drain) was clamped to see how she could handle the pressure and see if her body could naturally absorb the spinal fluid. Yesterday one Dr. said its a rare occasion that a patient does not need a perm. shunt after they already had one, but he said its not impossible. Then today he said her pressure ICP numbers look good, after being clamped . I would not have thought this but it looks like she will NOT NEED A PERM. SHUNT. She will have another CT scan to check the ventricals for pressure increase. What great news!!!! God has answered our prayers. Emily and I were not going to give up. They knew we wanted to try one last time with that last EVD. Her surgeon said we owed it to her to try one more time for all she had been through but no guarantees. It just shows what prayer and the power of the Lord can do when its His will. Surgeons say its almost impossibe and God says it is possible if its My will. Also for today Emily has walked with a walker around the 5300 floor, which she has not done in about a month except for 2 good days at the apt. 2 weeks ago. Also Her Physical Therapist was able to work with her today because of her increased energy. and she rode the bicycle around with all lines and monitors attached with a big smile on her face. She has made Mothers Day gifts for the Grandmas, opened her mail, which she waits and watches the clock for the drop off. Deanie is here to help, she came yesterday. We have enjoyed her company. She has not seen her since mid Oct. due to all the fevers and low counts Emily has had. Eddie went back on Monday and will be back tomorrow night. I have explained our long stay with Emily and she understands the different surgeries and treatments, and that next week Wed. we will be moved to the other side 5100 floor for her chemo. She takes all this in a positive way, and she actually understands all these treatments and language that everyone uses. She knows when it is time for certain meds. and she will speak up and remind them. Trey will be riding up with Eddie and we will surprise Emily again. 2 weekends in a row ! OK next Wed. round three chemo. Dr. G thinks she may be able to go all 4 rounds. Sometimes he has to stop at the third round due to the patient ability to take it., but he thinks Emily can do all 4 chemo treatments with no setback (except for this last time with the infections) We will have done the exact protocol treatment given for this Anaplastic Medulloblastoma. Only behind one week, but Dr. G said the studies have shown when a patient is given high dose antibiotics the cancer cells action decreases for that period of time. So the patient is not affected as far as the cancer spreading etc. One week will not affect the treatment. Its been a couple days for the update, we have been real busy around here. I better go and get some sleep. What a BLESSING we have been given today.
Love, Emily and Dawn
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