One day at a time
We have all been so happy to be home the last two days with no trips to the hospital and lots of visits from friends. Anya has certainly been showing some of the effects of the chemo, as early as Thursday morning. This took both Will and I by surprise. I realize now that I was a bit arrogant to think we might not have to deal with any side effects.
The biggest complaint she has is that her mouth hurts. There are two side effects that this could be - one is mouth sores and the other is jaw pain. We are still trying to figure out what exactly is bothering her. It mainly hurts when she eats, so, of course she doesn't feel like eating much. That in itself is a bit strange as Anya has always been a great eater. Also hard is that she is moaning or yelling about it at times. It is hard to think that this is just the beginning and things are likely to get worse. She has also had a couple big tantrums - those are never fun. I can't blame her, though, as she has been through a lot and even though she is incredibly verbal, some things she still can't understand much less explain.
One of the highlights for me in the last two days was getting together with some friends this morning - 3 moms, 3 preschoolers, and 3 babies. Sounds like a great playdate, right? It was more like a therapy session because one of the other kids there was Anya's friend Finn who has leukemia. It was so reassuring to see sweet, happy Finn and to talk to his mom about the tricks of getting through chemo. At one point I heard Anya say, "Finn, did you know I go to the same hospital you do?" At that point, Finn showed Anya his port. These two kids are amazing. I hope we get to spend more time with Finn and his family - that would be one good thing to come out of this situation.
The biggest complaint she has is that her mouth hurts. There are two side effects that this could be - one is mouth sores and the other is jaw pain. We are still trying to figure out what exactly is bothering her. It mainly hurts when she eats, so, of course she doesn't feel like eating much. That in itself is a bit strange as Anya has always been a great eater. Also hard is that she is moaning or yelling about it at times. It is hard to think that this is just the beginning and things are likely to get worse. She has also had a couple big tantrums - those are never fun. I can't blame her, though, as she has been through a lot and even though she is incredibly verbal, some things she still can't understand much less explain.
One of the highlights for me in the last two days was getting together with some friends this morning - 3 moms, 3 preschoolers, and 3 babies. Sounds like a great playdate, right? It was more like a therapy session because one of the other kids there was Anya's friend Finn who has leukemia. It was so reassuring to see sweet, happy Finn and to talk to his mom about the tricks of getting through chemo. At one point I heard Anya say, "Finn, did you know I go to the same hospital you do?" At that point, Finn showed Anya his port. These two kids are amazing. I hope we get to spend more time with Finn and his family - that would be one good thing to come out of this situation.
posted by beautiful big blue eyes at
7:25 PM
2 Comments:
I am so sorry to hear about the tantrums and pain but I'm so glad to know you have friends who can share tricks, ideas, and sympahty. That is amazing. How "lucky" ???? to have a friend who can understand (for both you two AND Anya). We love you all.
Wow, what a blessing to get together with them! It means so much to have someone who can understand at that sort of level... And for Anya and Finn to be able to talk about it is amazing!
Love you
Kristin
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