Clinic-2nd to last spinal tap

Pictures on the drive up...and my delicious omelet before we took off, thanks love!

Gracie is amazing!!  She has had I don't know how many spinal taps and part of me has liked not knowing somehow it makes the end seem closer...and every time I see those needle pokes in her back my heart sinks and I cringe.  So knowing she only has ONE more left feels so good!  Only thing that could be better is to have NO more left!  And in 12 weeks we will be singing that song!!!!  She did great at clinic as usual she is our brave little hero!  Her favorite part about going to the hospital she told me is going to a hotel and seeing Dr L.  She made Dr L a special picture to give her.  And the second Dr L walked in she was bursting for her to have it.  Dr L of course loved it and confirmed today that it is hanging on her wall in her office and makes her smile, which in turn made Gracie smile, then me:) isn't it great to see people happy!

 Tyson is at a super busy age and had his first trip with us,  he's a great kid however busy he may be we both think he handled the trip well.  We did have one moment I can now laugh at...wasn't so funny at the time when we then had to shower me and the kids again and were running late for clinic didn't want to miss her sedation time and Dad hadn't gotten any breakfast and...you get the picture but our little stinker pooped in the big bath tub while we were letting Gracie have one last swim in it.  But truly he did well and of course kept us very busy:) 

The kids loved swimming as usual and there's just something so fun about a hotel especially as a kid....and maybe even more especially as a child who has spent so much time isolated.  Thank heavens for a king since all 4 of us ended up in it by morning but we did get sleep thankfully:)
Gracie got her intrathecal methotrexate (chemo in her spinal fluid), IV vincristine (chemo), and IV pentamidine (antibiotic she gets every 4 weeks).  They always take a sample of their spinal fluid when giving the intrathecal chemo and I asked her Dr the results today and she said the pathology report showed no blasts which means no leukemia cells.  No matter how many times you ask this question and get a good response it never, ever, truly ever gets old!  She has never had a single blast in her spinal fluid so far which is great news yet because of their ability to hide in the spinal fluid they do ALL these spinal taps anyways.  Seems a little crazy that she's had somewhere around 15+ spinal taps and never had a single cancer cell in there found.  But we just pray whatever they are doing will work and cure her for life.  Her counts were great too!

Clinic Stats

Weight:42 lbs

Height: 3' 4.5 "

WBC:2.6

ANC: 1200

platelets: 301,000

Hemoglobin: 12.0

 

She was slightly increased again due to her body size.  She now takes 1.5 pills of 6mp twice a week and 1 whole pill 5 days.  Still 6 pills of methotrexate a week.  Today Dr L said for the first time in  8 months she recommends her going in for a check in 4 weeks instead of 1-2.  Wow, nice to hear.  Her body is tolerating the chemo well!  We hope it continues and she can sail through this last 18 (almost down to 17) weeks!

Our chain...its getting smaller!

Sweet worn out kids on the way home.  They were both wiped out. 

We are glad another trip/treatment day is over and can't wait until we come home from her very last spinal tap/chemo day and breathe a big huge sigh of relief!