Day 120

     Just in case anyone missed the update, Katie did not make "counts" yesterday, so they sent us home.  We will go back to the clinic next Wednesday and try again.  Today we are glad Katie has another week to get stronger. 
     Katie has grown an inch and lost a pound this past month.  We could tell she was looking long and lean, but it was still a bit of a surprise.  Another surprise was we knew Katie would be starting steroids, but we didn't know the steroids will be double the dose she had before.  So even though she won't be on them as long, the doctor said because of the higher dosage and because she starts and stops them, this will actually be harder on her body.  We are NOT looking forward to the side effects of the steroids!  No doubt she will gain that pound back, but WE will also gain back the "roid rage" and the insomnia.  Plus, the combination of chemo and steroids will make Katie very weak, so we will need to take her to physical therapy.
     I learned a lot of new things yesterday (none of them good).  The doctor and nurse were very emphatic about the difficulty of this next phase.  They wanted to make sure we knew and were prepared.  It is going to be a long two months or more!  We were told to anticipate this being similar to the beginning phase (as far difficulty) and to anticipate a possible hospital stay.  We also learned other things...for example, one of the new chemos she will be doing can damage her heart (low risk but possible) - which we knew - what we didn't know was how slow acting it is.  Katie won't get an EKG until 5 years from now, because the damage won't show up until then!  (Crazy!)  We also found out that after Katie's 2+ years of treatment, she will continue to go in for blood tests and a check-up, every month for the first 6 months.  Then she will go in every 2 months for tests for a year and a half, and then she will go in every 3 months until 5 years after her treatment ended (Katie will be just about 10 years old at that time!)  After that she will have a check up once a year until she turns 18.  They will be checking to see if Katie's cancer returns and also to check for long term effects of the chemo.  So....we are in this for the long haul.
     Romans 8:16-18 "The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."