Chemotherapy Round VIII (October 9, 2024)

Just wanted to drop a quick update on how things went with Ali’s latest round of chemotherapy today. We kicked off the day at 7:00 AM with labs to make sure Ali was good to go for chemotherapy. They also hooked her up with the port apparatus for her infusion later on.

Right after labs, we took a short walk across the hall to meet with Emily Skotte, one of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioners. Since nothing with Ali’s treatment plan was being changed this time, we didn’t need to see Dr. Michael Gibson. While we were talking with Emily about how things have been going, we could see Ali’s lab results starting to pop up in the MyHealthAtVanderbilt app. Luckily, her numbers looked good, so we got the all clear to proceed with chemotherapy.

We also asked if Ali needed another iron infusion, but Emily said it wasn’t necessary this time. Apparently, they have to space those out because too much iron can actually cause problems. Ali’s already had two recently, so we were able to skip it today, which saved us a solid hour and a half at the hospital.

Next up, we headed over to see Dr. Bethany Raffalovich, who’s been managing Ali’s pain. Ali still has a lot of discomfort in her stomach, and they’ve been trying different things to help her feel better. It’s been a bit of a challenge because a lot of the medications have side effects, so they’re working to find that sweet spot where she gets some relief without dealing with too many of the downsides. They made a couple of small adjustments to her medications, but nothing major. It’s all about trial and error right now... finding what works for her, little by little.

After that appointment, we made our way up to the infusion center. Ali always prefers a bed instead of a chair during these long infusions, so she can get some rest. It sometimes means waiting a bit longer, but it’s totally worth it because she’s way more comfortable and usually sleeps through a good chunk of it.

Since we got started so early, and because Ali didn’t need the iron infusion, we actually finished up at a pretty reasonable time today. Right after the "in hospital" infusion finished, the nurse hooked Ali up to her 46 hour "take home" chemotherapy treatment machine.

Normally, our chemotherapy appointments are on Thursdays, so she’s usually done with the take home treatment on Saturday. But since today’s session happened on a Wednesday, she’ll finish up on Friday instead, which gives us the weekend chemo-free (a nice little bonus)!

Usually, we’re the last ones out of the infusion center, but not today! We even made it home before Avalynn and Liam went to bed, and they were super excited to see us.

All in all, it was a long day, but things went pretty smoothly, and we’re glad to have another treatment behind us. Thanks to all of you for your continued support, prayers, and good vibes... every bit helps as we keep pushing forward.