Here's how things should have gone; Brooklyn would receive a dose of Methotrexate and a dose of Vincristine every ten days. The doctor would raise the dosage on each visit until Brooklyn began show side effects from the chemicals so that by the fifth dose she would be at the highest dose her body could tolerate.
What actually happened; Brooklyn received her first and very lowest dosage of Vincristine and Methotrexate and her immune system immediately collapsed.
What does that mean exactly? I can't really answer that questions because even her oncologist is perplexed. In the short term, it means we are officially delayed...er, half delayed, I guess, because they gave her the vincristine but not the methotrexate. They won't really be playing around with her dosage until her immune system is back up. It also means that we are in an isolation bubble again until I here otherwise. Bah!
It's ridiculously frustrating, tonight I spent the entire evening taking her temp every 10 minutes like a complete nutjob because I was certain she was on the verge of spiking a fever. It went from 99.9 to 100.3 to 100.4 then back down to 99.8. I checked before bed and it was all the way down to 98.9 so I guess she was just running warm? Anyway, being neutropenic is no bueno and it turns me into a neurotic mess. We are supposed to head back into clinic in 10 days and lord help me if her numbers aren't back up I might just have tantrum right then and there.
In the mean time, let me tell you about little miss Brooklyn. My daughter. I have never, ever seen Brooklyn behave as normal and happy as she has in the past three weeks. Not only has she been completely free from side effects (no vomiting, exhaustion, or temperament issues), but she's doing things that actual normal two years do. The kind of crap that would otherwise annoy the shit out of the parents of a healthy kid but absolutely thrills me.
Yesterday I caught her rooting through my purse and when I asked her what she was looking for, she stuffed her hand in her pockets, batted her lashes at me and said "chocolate."
When I ran into the living room the other day to a screaming baby and Brooklyn huddled in the corner "sweeping" with a broom I shouted "Brooklyn! Did you hit you sister in the head with that broom?!" She turned to me, grinned and shouted back "No! In the nose!!!"
She's walking, talking trouble. Feisty as hell. and I can' say I mind one little bit.
