Riverside - day 3 and 4

Madeleine’s Blog

June 10, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

Biochemo weapons hanging on
Madeleine's ever-present IV pole

Madeleine has been doing pretty well with this week of biochemo - even though there have been some challenges along the way. The first night she had the shakes and then very low blood pressure, and then last night they had to "ice" her to keep her medication-induced fever down.

We are grateful, however, that she has so far been able to avoid the dangerous side effects that this rigorous treatment can cause (which is the reason this medication combination is only given in a hospital intensive care setting). For someone as active as Madeleine, this means that the days and nights are quite long, with frequent interruptions for monitoring, medications, and more.

Yesterday, a family friend (Tom) made the drive from San Diego to visit her - it was so nice to hear his laughter and to have another familiar face at the hospital. 

The hospital here doesn't have internet or a wide selection of TV channels, so she is so grateful that friends of her dad loaned her a laptop and an i-Pad that have built-in internet capability. This has made such a huge difference in making her stay here more pleasant. Other friends have loaned a selection of movies for her to watch - which is also appreciated. 

Madeleine continues to take walks up and down the hallways near her room (she isn't allowed to go to a different floor or outside) - in fact, the joke with her doctor is that he always has to go search for her when he comes to check on her!

Thank you for your prayers during this time - that the treatment will be effective and the side effects minimal. We are all looking forward to checking out of the hospital and heading home on Wednesday!