Signs of Spring

The last two days were beautiful here in Ohio.  We spent much of Friday and Saturday outside and enjoyed every second of it.  Every year, once March hits we start really getting the "spring itch" (probably like everyone who lives in cold, snowy, winter states).  This spring will be extra wonderful for us.  First, Abbey will be in Maintenance by the beginning of May.  Also, most winters we feel cooped up in the house, but this winter we have really been housebound and spending these last two days outside was like a breath of fresh air for us.  The kids ran and played for hours.  It was good for all of us!  

Abbey has been feeling pretty good overall.  Today is day three of the steroids and we are seeing a little of their effects, but not too much at this point.  Her appetite has picked up, which is nice because her appetite has been down lately.  It isn't to the point where she is waking up in the middle of the night screaming "chicken" yet and hopefully it won't get to that during this round of them.  The steroids effected her last time in countless ways, the worst being extreme mood swings with going days without smiling or talking to anyone, laying on the couch from morning until night, not being able to walk, obsessive eating (like nothing you've ever seen from a petite little three year old), restless sleeping, weight gain (she went from 29 to 39 lbs. in a month) and she was so swollen she was unrecognizable.  It took a while for all the things that the steroids did to her to slowly come out of her body.  All of her muscle strength came back and about three days off the steroids she was smiling and happy just like before.  She also is back down to her normal weight so all that swelling went down.  We don't anticipate the effects this time being nearly as bad because she is on them for less amount of time with a week break in between.  She is on them right now for 7 days, then off for 7, then on for 7 more.  Then done!! We anticipate the most side effects showing up toward the end of the second week as they build up in her body.  

Today she is still laughing, running around and acting happy for the most part.  We have a medicine calendar on the refrigerator and each day we get through we cross out with a big X. Tomorrow afternoon we will be half way through this first week of them and oh how we can't wait to be done.  Tomorrow we have to go back to the clinic for her to get two shots of chemo into her legs.  They then will watch her for an hour after that to make sure she has no reaction because some kids have bad reactions to this type of chemo.  She had these same shots the week she was diagnosed and she did fine with them, but the doctor said that doesn't necessarily mean she won't react differently to them this time.   Please pray that she will handle these shots well, that she wouldn't be too traumatized by getting them and that she will have no funny reactions.

See our pictures from our days outside by clicking here.