those meds gave to me…headache, fever, nausea/vomiting, stomach and body aches, mouth sores, throat irritation and there was no partridge in a pear tree. Yesterday was a good day, but the wee hours of this morning were rough. It was really unsettling to watch Mireya experiencing so much pain and discomfort. I did what I could to console and comfort her. The remainder of my energy was spent praying for relief from the symptoms and for rest.

We were aware of the variety of effects the medication ‘could’ have, but really didn’t imagine we’d experience just about all of them on Day 2. It’s amazing how the medication affects people differently. Some kids have none of these issues and others maybe just a few. The chemo coupled with ATG has been quite intense to Mireya’s little system. The response to the meds made it necessary to dial back the speed in which she was receiving them and that made a big difference. We’ve been using a few household favorites in our arsenal to counteract these symptoms (Tylenol, hydrocortisone and Benadryl). My girl was hollering at 3am that she needed Tylenol. If pain becomes a major issue, they plan to give her a morphin drip to help alleviate her discomfort.

Once the medications were complete, she began to feel better and by mid afternoon was up playing, laughing and having fun. Reya’s platelets appear to be low because she has a considerable amount of petechiae all over. She is also retaining quite a bit of fluid. When we arrived Mireya weighed 29lbs. She is now up to 32.5lbs in one day which will likely require another medication to help eliminate the extra fluid. We’re gearing up for Round 2 and I’m praying it will not be a repeat of last night.