Round 7
Our admission came and went - we are happy to be recuperating at home. All things considered, Charlotte handled the cisplatin/doxorubicin the best she ever has. Her nausea, for the most part, was well managed. Charlotte participated in group school, completed the scavenger hunt (obvi), and even attended a special art therapy activity outdoors. Painting with wheelchairs!
There was a bit of a dance going on with the rate of Charlotte's feeds. We had been told ahead of our admission that we were OK to decrease them if she was complaining of nausea, so we did eventually slow things down - 60 ml/hr vs. 80 ml/hr. Even though she was getting less while in the hospital, we do think the NG tube played a huge role in her feeling better overall.
But what would a hospital stay be without a little drama?! Enter 3:30am Friday morning. The NG tube came out. GAH! Mere hours before we were hoping to be discharged! We knew it was going to happen at some point, but we also knew we weren't going to be reliant on sedation for replacement. Our team had suggested at our post-op appointment that, if the tube came out, we try and get it back in ASAP to take advantage of Charlotte being accustomed to the sensation. So try we did, at 4am! While Charlotte did leaps & bounds better than our very first attempt, the placement was not successful. She was too nauseous and there was fear that she would aspirate. Our nurse suggested we give her a few hours to rest and let her stomach settle.
Once again, we asked Charlotte to do something hard and, once again, she blew our minds. She was able to cooperate with the charge nurse and stayed calm & still for NG placement later that morning around 8am. SUCCESS! She did it. Thank goodness. After a few hours to make sure the tube was in the correct spot and Charlotte's nausea was controlled, we got to head home!
We're on a break from chemo for a couple of weeks, but there will still be plenty of trips back to SCH for physical therapy and labs. Hoping to soak up the last bit of summer while we're home!