Round 3, Day 16

Overall, things appear to be going well today. Myla doesn't have a fever, and she's done fairly well at keeping her food down. There is also some talk that we might be headed home in about a week if her ANC starts to go up soon. So, that's the good news.

We are working through a couple of concerns, however.

First, there is still talk of putting Myla on a supplemental nutritional program that would be given via IV, and there is also the possibility of giving her formula through a tube that would run through her nose. This is still just talk, and the decision will be based on Myla's ability to gain weight over the next couple of days. There are potential complications with the nutritional plans, so we are doing what we can to keep Myla fat and happy.

Second, we lost our access to the shared bathroom in our hospital room when the patient next to us moved to another room. Our room shares a bathroom with the room next to us, but policies state that only patients have access to the bathroom. Despite this, the previous patient had been kind enough to allow us to use the bathroom anyway. Unfortunately, she was moved to a different room this morning, and a new family in need of isolation was put in there. This complicates things a bit because anytime Melissa needs to use the bathroom, she has to hand Myla off and walk OUTSIDE our unit to use the public restroom that is shared not just by the family lounge on the 5th floor, but also by any parents and visitors of patients in the Stem Cell unit located on our same floor. There is a closet in the laundry room located off the family lounge that serves as the only shower available for Melissa, and the Stem Cell unit, and any visitors, etc.

Granted, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't a major thing, but it does make our time here a bit more difficult. That's not to mention the raw sewage that pushed its way into my shower at the Ronald McDonald House or the fact that there are now NO FORKS--metal or plastic--over at the RMH at the moment. During the first two trips, I had a box of plastic forks with me, so maybe I just didn't notice glitches like this as much. The House even sealed off the kitchen area that we share with 5 other rooms because someone (or someones) left dirty dishes in the sink...again. Not only did they tape the area off like a crime scene, but those who transgressed the boundary discovered that the House had also removed all the dishes and cooking ware from the kitchen.

Really, I'm not complaining...just describing a bit what the last few days have been like. I guess we are feeling a bit unsettled and are looking forward to when we can get back home to our own bathroom, and kitchen.

Despite all this, the medical staff at Riley has been great in helping us develop answers to our many questions. And the Ronald McDonald House...they called a plumber. So, really, I can't complain.

Melissa shared with me that Myla is in the bottom 3% of babies for weight, but around 50% when it comes to length.

And now, for some pictures:

1. Raul Matthew and Myla.
2. Myla "pointing" toward a toy.
3. Myla getting cozy with Melissa.
4. The room next to us where our "neighbor" moved out.
5. Melissa and Raul Matthew entertaining Myla.
6. Myla's first tooth coming in!
7. Myla chewing on her fist.
8. Myla up close.
9. Melissa holding Myla and new toys from the Magic Castle. [The Magic Castle is a cart that volunteers push around the hospital and use to hand out toys to the kids.]
10. Here's our car this morning after the huge snowfall we didn't get.
11. A couple more shots of freshly fallen snow on the burned out vehicles, and here's a tire from the car.

For fun, here's a link we can relate with: "You know you're a parent of a kid with cancer when..."

Finally, a special thanks to the faculty and staff of the School of Business at IU Kokomo for their generous gift and kind card!