Changes ahead

Dear Madeline,

Well, that was quite the long day, wasn’t it? I think we managed to arrive at the Johns Hopkins at about 7:30 this morning for your morning radiation treatment and didn’t manage to get home after your pediatric oncology hospital clinic appointment until about 4 this afternoon. In between, though, we did skip out of the hospital and I gave you and Mom the grand tour of Baltimore to pass the time. (I think we managed to pass through the majority of notable places, hot ZIP codes and wastelands alike.)

You haven’t been taking too kindly to these morning radiation appointments and the accompanying restriction on not eating after midnight the night before. The radiation oncology team needs you under anesthesia so you don’t wiggle around or change positions while receiving the radiation. Trust me, it is better this way. That doesn’t mitigate the perverse irony, though, in that the intentional damage to the area where your giant tumor was is triggering your body’s healing response, which in turn requires a great deal of energy (and thus, a great deal of eating to fuel the healing). Your treatment is, in short, making you very hungry and we need to deny you some of your feedings in order to ensure your treatments are as effective as billed.

House of thirty-something flavors? Let's hope not.

Dear Madeline,

Apparently, Mom and I are awful, awful parents. Doctor Obvious swept in to rescue us from our terrible and misguided ways yesterday by informing us that you really should be eating. I want you to live life unjaded by morons like this guy, so I'll spare you what I really thought about that guy and instead say that I was a little frustrated by the remark.

That remark, though, does mirror our concern for you. The doctors won't let you go home until you eat and poop normally. Sweet pea, we want nothing more than to unhook you from all of these tubes and machines and to take you home where you belong. 

Staged

Dear Madeline,

What a difference a day makes. Compared to Sunday, you were so much happier yesterday after the doctors determined that your port needle was out of place. Ordinarily, it shouldn't cause you much if any discomfort, if out of place... ouch!!!  Your smile was on full display and your personality was making a nice come back as well. You had some visitors today who were also quite pleased to see that: Grandma Zukiewicz and Josie, Grandma Smith, Aunt Kelly and Aunt Beth.

The surgical team returned later in the morning and noted how well you were doing. We were told not to fret the fact that you weren't eating in light of how complex your surgery was. You were also ordered off of the continuous pain medication drip and that we use the bowlus to deliver pain relief as needed instead. Good news! With a little medicinal help, you also left us a nice, um, deposit and there was much rejoicing (probably one of the few times in your lifetime you'll hear that). This gave the oncology team the news they were waiting on so they could get the treatment plan solidified.