The Next Tunnel

1 Peter 5:7  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Just before dinner last night, a dentist came in to see Ruby. Since many of the kids that are on the AFLAC unit spend significant time here, there is a dentist onsite that comes and checks in with the patients, and you can even keep them as your regular dentist when you leave. Very cool. Ruby got a clean bill of health; her teeth look great thanks to at least 15 minutes of her brushing with her electric toothbrush every morning and night :)
Last night was uneventful. Everyone came to the hospital for dinner and then a Songs for Kids concert downstairs. Grandma Cathie stayed the night with Ruby and they both did a great job with their night time meds. Ruby is getting better with the oral meds; she fusses less (even though she spits like a camel), but it's still not my preferred pastime. The good news is that her bloodwork shows that she is getting enough in each time to do the job.

Rounds today were similar to yesterday. Ruby's ANC was lower than yesterday, dipping back into the 2-digit area, but the team was not discouraged. They say that her numbers could boost up to 400 tomorrow easily, and once we have a 3-digit trend, she will be well on her way to 1000. They are still hoping to release her this weekend. It's weird to talk about home care nurses and whatnot...it feels like forever since Ruby has been home!

The plan right now is home for just over a week, and then a return on 9/30. We will do a bone marrow biopsy (her last levels were only 7%) and lumbar puncture again (her last one was negative). Then she will be admitted for her second round of chemo and second 21-day stay. This one will likely affect her more, as the chemo is more intense. Also, we will be in the midst of flu season, so visitors (including her siblings) will be less.

So so so excited for her return, and because her return will be short, I am trying to fit as much 'normal' into that time as possible. The biggest 'wa-wa' is that Ruby's home time coincides with our school's fall break. That means Ruby will possibly miss any chance to see her classmates. (She *may* have a chance to attend once the day before she goes back in.) But outside of that, she will have some therapy sessions, some playground time, and as much not-hooked-up-to-tubes-and-a-pole as she can stand!

The reason for the verse of the day? My anxiety. As awesome as this light at the end of the tunnel is, I know the next tunnel is right behind it, and that tunnel seems longer to me. It will include our favorite fall month, as whined about mentioned in a previous post, including the Buddy Walk and the Little 5 Points parade. And the timing of it sets Ruby up to return for round three during Halloween. She should only be in for a week or less that time, but that week includes 10/31. These things are tiny, minute details compared to the bigger picture, and maybe that's why I focus on them (because it's easier to distract that way).