... another day in KGH

Not much progress today.  Aly is still favoring her right arm and barely moves it - - and it is keeping all the Doctors and nurses on their toes.  Aly had some random fevers today, but in general seemed ok.  Her belly is so distended from the steroids ( and food) that her breathing continues to be shallow and she sweats like someone who just ran a marathon.  I have been worried about her blood sugar levels since the steroids can negatively impact her pancreas and many people can develop diabetes post chemo -  not to mention the fact that he daddy is a diabetic as well .....but I was pleased to hear that her blood sugar was 7.0 - - right on track! - phew.
  I have noticed that she does not eat as much when we are in the hospital, but her appetite is definitely there.  We realized last night that the only L'il Cesar's in town was located in the west end, so Brian drove out and got her a cheese pizza to get her through the night.  Surprisingly, she slept from 10-5 without waking for food - just a couple of requests for milk.
Looking at her now, she is lying in bed watching a movie ( surprise!) and her skin is so stretched and has a shine to it.  Some of the nurses remember her form her first admission, and a few of them did not even recognize her.  The only way to describe the way she looks, is uncomfortable.  It reminds me of being 9 months pregnant, not wanting to walk, feeling puffy and bloated and having a hard time breathing because of the size of my belly.  I really debated putting a picture of Aly on here in the state that she is in - -but I think it is important for people to see the impact that these steroids can have on a child. Some of the people that have come to visit Aly have been really impacted and upset by the way she looks, and I think it's because it's almost unbelievable that in such a short period of time ( a month) a child who used to be so skinny and weigh 30lbs - - can now tip the scale at 40lbs.
Tomorrow is the big day - - and one that I am not sure how to prepare myself for.  All I can focus on right now is the current state and knowing that she is comfortable, fed and clean.  Tomorrow the whole process will begin at 10am where they were take her to be sedated.  The first procedures that will take place are the most important ones ... the bone marrow test and the lumber puncture ( spinal tap).  These tests will help them to determine how the first round of treatment went .... and ideally all of the leukemia will be gone.  Apparently it is quite simple to kill the leukemia cells - - the chemo that she has been receiving has been quite mild, it is the steroids that have the most intense impact on the body.  As her treatment continues the chemo will become stronger, but steroid use will be come minimal and only for short periods of time.  In addition to those tests they will also do an MRI on her arm to try to determine why she is not using her right arm.  There could be a blood clot, or there may be other issues that require her port to be take out fully and a new one inserted - - but that would not likely happen until next week.  While Aly is sedated they will also take advantage of the fact that she can not kick, scream, spit and bite them ( yes she does all of that from time to time) .....and they will give her a bath and wash her hair.  Hopefully that will help make her feel a wee bit better too!

.....over the past few days I have had so many people tell me how much they see me in Aly.  Now to be honest I am not sure how to take that.  Prior to being sick, everyone that the fair, slender, tall sweet child looked just like her daddy.  Now that she is puffy, opinionated, cranky, bitter and demanding - all of a sudden she is her mother's daughter.  But you know what I am ok with that because if she has her mommy in her this poor little illness called leukemia doesn't stand a chance.