Critical Update

5:11 PM: Melissa just heard back from Dr. Kumar who had called to pass along the report from the pathologist regarding the bone marrow test that Myla had yesterday. They spotted some abnormal monoblasts that could turn out to be leukemia, and that would mean that the overall level of blasts in Myla's bone marrow might be above the 5% they had hoped to find. The bottom line is that we don't know for sure, so Dr. Kumar is likely to call for another bone marrow aspiration in addition to a bone marrow biopsy, the latter which Myla hasn't had before. The biopsy would take part of the bone (not just the marrow), which would give them a better read on what is going on with the bone marrow production. We'll likely take her in for these tests next Monday.

The good news is that Dr. Kumar's gut feeling is that the chemo is still probably working for Myla. Dr. Kumar said that the blast percentage had generally been in the 10-15% range for those patients who did not respond well to the chemo treatments. So, Myla appears to be a borderline case. On the other hand, she is also a baby,which introduces more uncertainty into the mix.

Where does that leave us now? We are waiting to hear back from the head of the clinical study that Myla is participating in. He is in Kansas City. Never met him. Yet, he, along with the medical staff at Riley, will decide whether Myla continues with the remaining rounds of chemo, or whether she should undergo a bone marrow transplant. This is an extremely important decision.

Melissa and I both request your increased prayers during the next few days as this important decision is being made. This truly is a critical time. If you have followed this blog for a while, you have probably picked up that I avoid writing in a "crisis" mode. [Ironically, I just got another call from Melissa informing me that Raul Matthew's finger came very close to being super glued to the nose of one of our cats. Now THAT could have been a crisis! I'm not sure who would have come out on the losing end of that one.] But back to the serious stuff--if you are the praying type, we could use those prayers about now. Praying that the medical staff has the insight and wisdom needed to make the proper decision would be an outstanding request to make. :)

Meanwhile, life continues, so here are some cute & cuddly pictures of Myla that I've taken during the last few days:

1. Myla leaving the hospital under the cover of night after finishing her 2nd round of chemo.
2. Myla with Papa, her grandpa.
3. Myla playing with her thumb--she has just discovered her hands within the last couple of weeks.
4. Myla smiling.
5. Myla just being Myla.

And now, for the pictures from yesterday's trip to Riley Hospital. We left on a cold winter morning that found me having to drive behind ice-caked semis while also dealing with this group in the back seat. After serving time in the waiting room, we headed back to where Myla had her blood pressure taken followed by being measured and weighed. We then waited in another waiting room before we moved to a private room where blood was drawn from Myla's central line. After waiting for about an hour for a pain numbing cream to do its work, we headed to the procedure room where Myla was given some additional drugs to make her sleepy before she got another round of chemotherapy in her spine. Next came the bone marrow aspiration--the part where they draw marrow from her bones. After her procedure, Myla was both very groggy and VERY active. (I need an insurance estimate to repair the damage to the moon roof during our drive home last night.) After the procedure, Melissa helped the nurse change the dressing on Myla's central line before putting her in a new outfit that my mom sent us. Thanks, Mom.

During the procedures, I took a few construction pictures out the window to mark the occasion. Get this, the first roofing panel on the south side of the new 10-story Riley Hospital for Children building was being installed by workers exactly as Myla was getting chemo in her spine. Here's what the roof looked like when we left. I know, the roof thing isn't cute and cuddly, but the roof will always have a special meaning to us. Or, at least to me. I'm not sure Melissa gets into coincidental sentiments. :)