Vacation, Port, Second Chemo

We returned last Saturday from a much-needed vacation to Mexico. We have a timeshare in Cabo San Lucas that we've been unable to use because of Adrienne's transplants and immunosuppression. We were ecstatic when Adrienne's oncologist told us to go. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and not too hot all week. Daniel brought a friend so they were off doing activities each day while Adrienne and I mostly laid by the pool reading and relaxing. We all went on ATVs on the beach, which was a lot of fun. All in all, it was one of the best vacations we've had.

Adrienne got her port yesterday. In surgery, they decided to give her a drug she's never had before and she had an odd reaction so recovery took a long time. She's in quite a bit of pain from the insertion but should be on the mend the next couple of days. It will certainly make Adrienne's life easier. She got her chemo yesterday in the port with none of the pain she experienced last time. Today, she says she feels totally normal, not like she got chemo yesterday. She hasn't even taken a Zofran today. She is getting Zantac and Claritin for the next week so we can, hopefully, avoid the hives and itching of the previous infusion. Adrienne's lumps have gone down and her itching has stopped, so we assume the chemo is working. A PET/CT is currently scheduled in another month, after two more rounds of chemo.

I've been trying to research possible clinical trials for Adrienne but there isn't much available. There is a clinical trial of monoclonal antibodies, which is on hold for "interim review" for awhile. I will check into it again in a few weeks but that would have to wait until Adrienne is 18.

Some welcome news: we returned from vacation to find a notice that Adrienne is now a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. No word yet on whether she'll get any scholarship money but we are hopeful. Adrienne will begin getting college acceptance notices in about five weeks, so we are waiting anxiously.