Positive start to high dose chemo but challenging few days ahead

So Eloise has had 3 days of high dose chemotherapy, and she is doing very, very well. She is walking around, (attached to stickman), has, so far, avoided being sick and has settled back into full-time hospital life.  She has been getting to know many of the nurses and Doctor’s names and it is lovely to see her walking so well and her cheeky self returning.  Physios, speech therapists, dieticians and nurses are all really impressed with how Eloise is doing – especially when she has gone through so, so much in such a short space of time!  Go Eloise!

Yesterday we had an update from our oncologist regarding Eloise’s MRI results from Monday – following the MDT at the Marsden yesterday morning.  The MDT have concluded that the marks on the scans are ‘reactive changes from surgery’ and have deferred to the neurosurgical team.  This means the marks are likely to be blood and other post-operative scarring/changes, as described at the time by the Neurosurgeon.  That said, as we know – Eloise is likely to have cancer cells still flying around in her tumour bed, and hence the high-dose chemotherapy and proton beam therapy is critically needed to try and kill any remaining cancer cells.

Thank you for praying.  Please keep praying – we are feeling that prayers are being answered!  Eloise has become less agitated and is much happier, she is doing well on the chemo so far (but it is very early days) and the MRI results are much more encouraging (no growth or spread!).

Tomorrow morning Eloise starts her next chemo drug, which is very toxic and is also excreted through the skin.  We have a full-on nappy changing (hourly), bathing and changing clothes regime (e.g. 4- 8 times a day, with all the tubes connected etc), round the clock, in order to try to keep the chemo drug off her skin and prevent damage to the skin.  This is going to be an exhausting few days for all of us.  This regime is until Eloise has her autologous stem cell transplant on Friday.

For those that pray:

•             Praise that the MRI results show no growth

•             Praise that Eloise is doing exceptionally well – she is so strong, still having no seizures and is doing amazingly.

•             Pray that the next few days of bathing, clothes and bedding changing and nappy changing are ok – that Eloise isn’t too frustrated by it, and that we all have the energy to get through 24/7.  Pray that she continues to cope with chemotherapy well and continues to not be sick (i.e. vomit).

•             Continued prayers for Eloise to be able to start proton beam therapy very very quickly.

Eloise and Pete (and stickman) enjoying the ward garden at the Marsden, whilst we can!