Round 2

Surprised with a Nintendo Switch 2 for this visit!

We checked in to Children's yesterday for our second round of chemotherapy. Charlotte is getting a different medication this time - methotrexate - which isn't as harsh as the cisplatin & doxorubicin cocktail she got the first go around. The methotrexate does require a lot of hydration (mostly via IV), with the goal of flushing it out of the system after it's attacked the cancer, so we were warned that there would be lots of bathroom visits. God bless those nurses who then get to test the samples for pH levels afterwards...

Charlotte started her dose in the afternoon, and for the first few hours she was feeling pretty good! We were able to take her IV pole out for a walk around the floor, and visited the rooftop garden for some fresh air and sunshine! This was a dramatic difference already in terms of energy! It certainly helped that she didn't have any surgical procedures before starting. She did start feeling tired and a little nauseated around dinner time, and only wanted to sleep. Of course, she had to wake up frequently to pee, or take more nausea meds, or because the pole was beeping, or because the hospital did two generator tests overnight, causing EVERYTHING to beep and flash. Charlotte didn't seem to have much trouble sleeping, though I'm not sure I can say the same for Lauren and I...

She actually did enjoy being outside, even if it doesn't show in the picture!

We're now done with the chemo portion of this visit, and just have to wait for her body to fully flush out the methotrexate, which should be a few days. Charlotte had some pancakes and smoothie for breakfast, which is probably more than she ate her entire last visit. After last time, we were definitely worried about appetite, so this is already a very positive change. She also got to visit the hospital's school today - getting to spend an hour with some other kids and keeping her mind sharp! We're very excited about this development, as we know that some socializing and learning will be so valuable, even if it's not her normal classroom. They did some math, watched Bill Nye and got to make paper airplanes!

After school, Charlotte was able to have some more food, a muffin, yogurt and a donut. Maybe not perfectly balanced, but we mostly care about getting calories in right now. We also had a nice visit from her primary oncologist, who happens to be attending this week. It was nice to chat with her and get further reassurance about the treatment. Overall, it's been far less stressful so far, and we're hoping we can have a few more days of smooth sailing so we can get home!