July 9, 2011

Yesterday, Day 8th I was on cloud 9! We received the greatest news ever.  Kassidy has been having her blood drawn every day to make sure we get her levels of potassium to a safe level.  Well, on today's test, her uric acid showed a 7.7. Your probably going, so what does that mean? Well, Dr Weaver informed us that most brain tumor patients here at Burzysnki, start showing uric acid increases usually when the tumor starts to breakdown.  I wanted to scream to the world, THANK YOU GOD! I couldn't contain my excitement and at the same time saying a silent prayer and hoping that this is exactly what it means. We do have to watch her level of uric acid does not go over 10, because then she can develop gout, but even if it does, she will be given something to control it.

Uric Acid at 7.7! Yipee!

Now, we have been working hard on getting her levels of potassium higher.  She is now taking 2 mama jamma potassium pills 4 times a day.  She's never been one to have trouble with pills, but the first morning she was taken one we were having breakfast and I hear her gag.  Out came the pill! The pill is big, so I started to cut it in half, she says it still kinda hard, but she gets it done.  Today at our appointment at the clinic, one of the other patients suggested we put the pill in juice and let it dissolve and then she can drink it.  Duh! Why didn't we think of that.

The mama jamma potassium pill!

Today I found an error on the pump, she wasn't getting enough of bag 2.  During weekends, the clinic works on a skeleton crew and just sees patients like us learning.  They do everything for you, but I was looking at her dose sheet and looking at the delay of the pump and it just didn't make sense for what I had learn the previous week.  I had to call the clinic and they told me to just reprogram the pump and shut it off after her last dose tomorrow at 6am.  I'm feeling pretty confident with a lot of the procedures now.  Next week all I have to learn is how to change a bag of medication during mid cycle since her doses are going up, bag 1 only holds 1000 ml and her doses will be more by the time it administers 6 times.  Other than that, I've learned everything they teach and all we need is the doctor from Vegas to sign the paper saying he will oversee Kass while we are at home.  After this is done, we can go home!!!!!!! Yes!!!! Kass & I are ecstatic about that.

Kass has been handling the medicine pretty well these last 3 days she has had no headaches.  Has had some small nauseas, but all in all feeling pretty good.  We have noticed that after her first infusion of the day with her upped dose, she feels pretty tired and has to take a nap.  In the evening, she has more energy and in the morning she has a bit of hard time waking cause her dose is usually finishing when I'm trying to wake her around 7:30am.  Her body seems to be getting use to the medicine a little more each day.

It's been great hearing from y'all (Texas style).  I have attached a couple pictures of peeps showing Kassidy Army pride.

Savanna with UCLA softball head coach Perez

Lopez boys posing, what they are great at.

Sarah and Coach Spencer from Centennial High School sofball.