29 Days

Round one included 19 days in the hospital and Round two was 29. 29 ding-dang days of our family not being together. Yuck. But now that we are on the other side of it, it's in the past.

Good gravy, we are OUT! Ruby's ANC was 47 on Monday, 90 yesterday, and this morning, a whopping 210! The team said her numbers would go up quickly, but one even admitted to me that she didn't think it would go up that quickly. I literally threw my hands in the air when they told me it was over 200...that's how excited I was.

So after a few restless nights of sleep, either due to being hooked up to an IV during bedtime again or due to the two new teeth that popped yesterday, Ruby slept very well last night. So much so that I never heard her stir during the visits from the nurses. It's a good thing too, because when her brother and sister get home from school, she will be on sensory overload and overstimulated to the max!

So now the plan is to be at home until next Wednesday morning. Ruby can go to school (YIPPEE!!), trick-or-treat, and enjoy fall for a few glorious days. When she goes back in, she will be sedated for a lumbar puncture to check if her spine and brain are still cancer free, and then she will be admitted for chemo round three. This round is 96-hours of infusion (four days), but because it typically starts around dinnertime, Ruby will be on the drip for five days. That means she could go home Sunday. I'm thinking more like Monday, but as long as it's one of those, I'm not complaining. The protocol from there is for the nurse to come draw blood 2-3 times a week to watch her levels and be vigilant about hand-washing and keeping her away from anyone obviously sick. Outside of her spiking a fever, she should stay home throughout the rest of round three. Wouldn't that be amazing?!?!