First round of chemo is complete!

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of letters, emails, texts, and calls.  We are humbled and grateful for your thoughts, prayers and love; they have definitely carried us through what was a very tough day last week when Neve received her first Chemo treatment.

On the morning of Wednesday October 7^thwe traveled to Cincinnati hopeful that she would be the second case of the day, although we weren’t entirely sure when her procedure would begin or how long it would take.  Fortunately, by 3:00 pm we were checked in and all taken back to the Operating Room to meet the other doctors and nurses that would be caring for her. Everyone at CCH has been so wonderful to both Neve and us as we ventured down this path for the first time.  Her Interventional Radiologist, Dr. Abruzzo, knowing how much see loves the movie Frozen even had an Elsa doll taped to the door of the OR.  She loved that!

Shortly after Neve’s procedure began, a few of our Ohio-based college friends arrived to provide us with hugs, laughs, emotional support and some much needed distraction.  Around 5:00 pm we were notified that the catheter had been successfully positioned behind her eye and they were able to start administering her chemotherapy, which lasted approximately 30 minutes.  By 6:30 pm she was out of the OR and being transferred to the PICU.  Dr. Abruzzo met with us to confirm that everything went to plan with no complications and that we would actually be able to leave the hospital around 10:30 or 11 pm.   We went into this day unsure of when Neve’s procedure would begin, how long it would take or how long she would need to be sedated once it was over.  We were told to expect the maximum – 5 to 6 hours for the procedure followed by another 5 to 6 hours of sedation for recovery.  So we were extremely happy that the procedure was only 3.5 hours and that she only needed to be sedated an additional 4 hours….still a lot for a little body but much better than 11-12 hours. 

It was around 7:00 pm when we got to see Neve in the PICU where she was sedated and recovering peacefully.  Another set of college friends arrived and provided more hugs and emotional support. We naively thought Neve would be completely asleep the entire time, but she did occasionally stir asking for something to drink.  This was not surprising since she hadn’t had anything by mouth since 9:30 am.  After four hours in the PICU, her sedation meds were stopped and she was disconnected from all the IV’s, monitors, catheters and breathing tubs.  We were finally discharged by midnight but having been up since 5am we thought it best to spend the night in Cincinnati at a nearby hotel.  However, we didn’t get much sleep.  We learned the hard way that Neve doesn’t do well after anesthesia.   She threw up several times in the early morning plus had an elevated temperature, which gave us cause for concern as it could have been a sign of infection (thankfully it wasn’t).  We also learned we need to travel with thermometers, Gatorade, and saltines as we couldn’t find a convenient 24 hour CVS at 5 in the morning.  Most of Thursday was a blur but thankfully the first round of chemo was complete and we made it home safely but all exhausted.    

Neve has been absolutely incredible during this whole process.  We spent the weekend recuperating and staying close to home.  Her right eye is irritated and swollen closed, which we were told could be a side effect of the chemo.  While it is certainly uncomfortable she isn’t letting it slow her down. In the big scheme of things, we know that it could be a lot worse, however, it is tough to see our little girl go through this.  We keep telling ourselves that her swollen eye is an indication that the chemo drugs were correctly delivered to the eye, that the treatment is working and she is one step closer to her being cancer free. 

As we move through each day, we hold on to the many words of wisdom that you have shared.  While we may not respond right away, please know that we read every email, text and card that is sent as it helps us to remain strong and stay positive through this difficult time.

We are grateful and appreciative of the many offers to help.  To make that part of the process easier a website has been created at:  www.whatfriendsdo.com     

Team Name:  Neve Bowden  

Link:  http://www.whatfriendsdo.com/team/1754/

Password: kickcancer

 

We will do our best to keep everyone updated as this journey continues.  In the meantime, we are going to do our best to enjoy fall, gear up for Halloween, and spend a lot of good, quality family time together.  As always, please continue to keep Neve in your thoughts and prayers.  

Fondly,

Maggie & Clay

Jackson, Myers & Neve