4th Day of Conditioning Treatment

Hi there Blogsters!!

Hope all is well….are you sitting comfortably??

Welcome and thanks for joining us again for the next instalment. Each day, it never ceases to amaze us how many people are following Phoebe’s Journey, we welcome any questions and really enjoy the comments. She is a very lucky lady having so many people looking out for her. Bless you all xx

I awoke this morning slightly delirious due to the fact that I’d had a full nights sleep – woohoo!! Phoebe was already awake, sitting up chattering and entertaining herself, she’d probably go and get her own breakfast if she could escape out of the cot!! Talking of breakfasts, Phoebe ate well this morning and has had no sickness at all…ooh she does like a cuppa tea in the morning, she’s a real tea-belly (decaf of course!!).

As the Chemo is starting to take more effect, she will now start to have….what’s the nicest way to say it…erm…busy nappies!! Due to this she will need to have regular baths. Can I just share a real special moment with you from this morning? There is something about Phoebe that shows she has a real trust with us in this situation and some understanding of what is going on. This morning we gave her a bath, which again is out of her everyday routine, and we always need to make sure that her Hickman line is placed into a waterproof cover before going into the bath. Firstly, she is so accepting of this which always amazes us but this morning I asked her to lie back and rest her head on the rim of the baby bath so that I could rinse her hair with the shower head (which we’ve not done before). Phoebs never moved an inch and stayed so still for me, looking straight into my eyes. She actually brought tears to them out of such admiration for this little girl that we so proudly call our daughter. I know it may not sound much but it’s those moments that stay with you forever...and that was just by 10 O’clock!!!

Phoebe has been a star today taking her medicines, some of which may have had a drowsiness effect….erm…not on Phoebe! She was up and about keeping us on our toes, following her around. When she is having her intravenous meds she's attached to a machine which administers the chemo intravenously over a few hours and during this it’s is like doing the assault course on the Krypton Factor!! – now let’s see how many of you remember that……ooh…now you are showing your age!!!


The update from the consultants today has been extremely positive and we are now receiving daily copies of Phoebe’s blood results, these have been as expected and they are really pleased with her progress. Sarah, our BMT co-ordinator has been really lovely and supportive right from our initial meeting with Rob Wynn. She visits us daily and is always ready to answer any questions we have and has given us a comprehensive update on Phoebe’s isolation status. We currently have a couple of viruses on the ward which is common at this time of year so as a precaution we are in isolation from today instead of next week. This means that Phoebs will need to stay in her room and only myself, Ade and the other two listed carers (my mum & Ade's mum) will be able to enter and leave it. Sarah also explained about 'Semi Isolation' which will be when we are allowed home and from that time it will be a further six months before we can really start to take Phoebe out into busy public places, so no circle tots for a while my friends….boo!

It was lovely to see the folks again today and they have been an amazing source of help running here and there for us, even feeding the fish, bless them.

I would like to say a special mention for my Auntie Winnie who has broken her hip today; she is a very strong lady and is determined to get through her ordeal by being inspired by Phoebe in her recovery. All our love goes out to you Auntie Winnie or as Phoebe calls her ‘Ninnie’!! Phoebe sends you kisses xxxx.

A big Hello to all the Staff at the Tollgate, thanks for keeping things moving whilst Ade is away….well it’ll be tidy at least!!! Thanks for your love and support. I would also like to say 'Hi' and a great big thanks to everyone at Redstone who are tuning in each day; you have all been so supportive throughout, it means a great deal, hope all is well with you guys x

Now…..Denise, how are you? Lovely surprise to hear from you sweetie all the way over there in the States, it's mad blogsters ….we’ve gone Global !! Thanks for your question, yes the Chemotherapy is part of the treatment plan as listed in the first posting, this will stop on day 9 and Phoebe will continue to have immuno-suppressant therapy for a while after the BMT. Aaah, hope all is well hun xx

Please feel free to leave your e-mail addresses in the comments, this is secure and I can then e-mail you personally.

Phoebe has a big day tomorrow as she will need to have a blood transfusion and more medicines which means she will be permanently attached to the intravenous machine now, but, this is another stage closer to transplant day….another stage closer to recovery - Joy!!

Hope you like the pictures Ade has added for you, there will be more to follow, he’s a star bless him xx

We’ll leave you tonight with the quote from the Angel calendar…..

'Sometimes when the load we carry is too much we wonder what good are the angels who are supposed to help us carry it. What we don't notice is that they are often right beside us, telling us it's time to lay it all down'

To all our family and friends, thanks for the constant love and support, we are truly blessed xx

Much love xxxx