An interesting day

Thank you very much to Thishen Govender for the donation to the funrazor initiative. Your contribution will make a big difference.

Today was an interesting day.

Management decided that Doctor Anne needed to take some leave. After all she has been working pretty much non-stop since Doctor Liz left. So this morning we were seen by a Doctor Lear one of the normal paediatricians (as far as I know).

On Monday Bianca is possibly going to start Day 29 of the Delayed Intensification phase. On this day Bianca will need to go into theatre for a lumbar puncture as well as 2 other chemo treatments. So Monday will be a long long day. It looks likely that it will happen on Monday because right now we are waiting for her platelets to go up, they are going up, but aren't quite there yet.

So now with Doctor Anne on leave, we are then very likely to have to go to Christchurch for the theatre and the chemo treatments. So I'm still not sure about the logistics, how long we would then have to stay and so on. Usually Day 29 would just be done as a one day thing, so - in the morning, out the afternoon kind of thing. But if this has to happen in Christchurch I guess it will all depend on what time theatre will be and what time the chemo treatments will start. I'm not too pleased about it and I do hope they are able to work something out with the paediatric oncologist in Christchurch so that the treatment can happen in Wellington.

I am just so thankful that it is just a one off at this stage. The rest of Bianca's chemo can be administered by the oncology-trained nurses here in Wellington and as an outpatient so this will hopefully mean no further trips to Christchurch. There is nothing wrong with Christchurch hospital, but Bianca is so used to the nurses here in Wellington and nothing will be familiar in Christchurch. And so all of a sudden she will then have to deal with a whole bunch of strangers in a very strange environment.

I know they have a locum starting in January, but after Doctor Anne leaves this will once again take us down to just one doctor and then what happens when this person needs to take leave - will the Christchurch Paediatric Oncologists come here or will families be expected to travel to Christchurch? Please keep praying for those permanent Paediatric Oncologists!!!

I just feel so sorry for children like Elijah who will have to get his high dose methotrexate in Christchurch. Usually this specific treatment means an admission of approximately a week and they are now very likely to be split up as a family over Christmas.

Then, recently Bianca entered a drawing competition. The kids at Wellington Hospital had to draw a Christmas picture. There were a few age categories with a DVD player as a prize per category winner and then the overall winner would get their picture printed on the hospital Christmas cards. Bianca drew a Father Christmas and a Christmas tree with some presents underneath the tree. It was actually a pretty good picture and unfortunately didn't have my camera there on that day. But they chose Bianca as a winner in her category. She wasn't an overall winner, but today the portable DVD player arrived. Bianca was so pleased and tonight at the hospital sat there watching a show and using the remote to pause or play. It will come in so handy for those hospital stays. So thank you very much to Wellington Hospitals & Health Foundation! You really made Bianca's day and she felt so proud!

And then I just want to take this opportunity to tell everybody that we have the most wonderful, dedicated Au Pair staying with us. Sanna has been helping me out so much, she does way more than what we expect and I really don't know how I would have coped without her. I'm trying to convince her to clone herself before she has to leave next year... :-).

Medicines today:

• Tazocin (through IV)
• Gentamicin (through IV)
  
• Omeprazole - 1 capsule a day
• Fluconozole - 10 ml at night
• Metronidazole (through IV)
• Erythromycin (oral antibiotic)
• Co-trimoxazole (three times a week, twice a day)