We took Kerstin to Omaha this morning to the Oncology clinic. After some lab work, we got to go to the Pediatric surgery wing where the doctor removed her central line. Kerstin has been so excited to get rid of it, but was a bit worried about how it was going to get done. She did not realize that she was going to get a shot (she says 3 shots) to numb the area. The anticipation of the shot was much worse than the actual shot. It wasn't a very fun procedure for her, but she hung in there like a trooper! We are very proud of how tough she has been. We also met with Dr. G who outlined the plan for her Maintenance Therapy which began this evening. She will be taking a total of four different medications, all but one are in pill form. She will really be a pro at swallowing pills after this! We are hoping that the side effects of these drugs won't be as bad as the labels sound! She will get her blood checked every two weeks (at St. E's in Lincoln) and a check up by her doctor every 4 weeks (in Lincoln, too). This maintenance therapy will last for one year from today. We still will have to be careful and keep try to keep her from catching any major bugs, but we won't have to be as cautious as we were at first. Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Joann were able to come to Lincoln for a little celebration. We went out to dinner and even had time to play a game of Fast Track. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with them. They hope to be able to stay longer next time.
Thanks for checking on us and for all of your encouraging messages!
5 comments:
Good Morning Kerstin! Great news on the central line! Congratulations on reaching this great accomplishment. We are so happy for you and admire your strength and courage. Keep smiling girl. The J's.
Hello Leaf family,
I want to tell you what an incredible family I think you are. Kerstin is blessed to have such a loving and supportive family (that includes a great big sister!) through this difficult time. I can't imagine what you all have had to deal with these past three months. What a blessing that Kerstin has responded to the treatment so well and that it appears she will get to go back to school soon and start getting life back to 'normal'. Please watch your mail in about a week for a package from Focus on the Family. They had a three day series earlier this week on families dealing with a child who has cancer. I ordered a CD of the broadcast to be delivered to your home. I hope it will provide some comfort and encouragement for all of you. The positive way your family has faced this illness has been a real testimony of your faith. I pray that the year ahead will bring nothing but good health for Kerstin and after this year of maintenance medication you can put this whole ordeal behind you. Stay strong Leaf family. God is good, all the time - All the time, God is good. You will all continue to be in my prayers. I would also like to thank you for the time you have taken to update this blog on a reglar basis to keep us all up to date on Kerstin's progress over the past few months. There are so many people who care about your precious daughter and this has been a wonderful way for us to keep in touch. Thank you.
YEA!! No more dressings, no more more central line! You are getting it done, Kerstin!!
Hi Kerstin! So glad your central line is outta there! YAhoo!! Yippee!! You were so brave! I'm so proud of you sweetie!
Your cookie baking looked like fun! Good idea for left over candy. I may have to try that sometime.
How cool...I played train with the chairs when I was little too! Where did you travel on your train? I took trips to Grandma's house on my chair train.
You take care! Keep on being brave and strong. Hope we can get together with you soon! Big hugs! Love the Holsteins
Hi Kerstin!
I'm so glad to hear that you finally got rid of that central line and handled it like a pro too. I still can't believe you are so good at swallowing pills. It took me a long time to get used to that and Alex still can't swallow them- you are amazing! :)I hope now that you don't have to be as cautious about catching any bugs, I'll get to see you more often at church. We'll be praying for you to continue to do well and not have difficulties with side effects from your medicine.
Emilie
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