April 30, 2008 Tumor Board Meeting

Well, the tumor board meeting will review her case tonight and they will decide what plan of action to take with her new tumor. I told the oncologist the other day that I would not eat dinner until I heard back from him...so we will see. I am nervous, but very excited to get to the next phase because I know that everything will work itself out.

Kaydence is having the best day ever! She breast fed today and was a pro at it. I was so happy that she latched on the way she was supposed to. It can be a huge challenge for babies to take to the breast after they have gone to a bottle. We practiced for about 20 minutes and then she took 40ccs from her bottle too. That little girl was wide awake for 3 hours, so needless to say I did not put her back in her crib! lol. I was holding her, and loving every minute of it. She is regulating her temperature great, and she has good head control too. This is completely opposite of yesterday, and I can see that all the sleeping paid off!

I layed an outfit out for Paula to put on her last night when I left. They told me that I might not be able to change her anymore because her picc line is in her arm. They said that we could try to change her every few days when they change out her line...so I was content with that. Well Paula came to the rescue and changed her anyway! So she was super cute in her new outfit this morning when I saw her... it was a pleasant surprise.

I knew that it was a good day, so I was going to leave the hospital early evening because she was so stable. My nurse told me that she couldn't wait to hear the results of the tumor board meeting, and she was going to make sure we both found out before her shift ended at 7 p.m. So around that time, Dr. Justin came over and told me what everyone had decided on. He had a huge smile on his face, and told me that yes there is a mass that is 1.5 x 2 but the board does not feel that she needs surgery at this time. They do not think that there should be any concerns for cancer, and they will just monitor the mass with occasional ultrasounds. He also told me that they set a goal for Kaydence to get ready for discharge. All she needs to do is eat all her feeds by mouth, and she will be sent home!

I cannot express how I felt when I was hearing all of it. My breathing was different, my chest cavity felt light as a feather...almost like I was floating. Monday I was slammed in the face with all this horrible news, and now they are telling me that she is a week or two away from coming home! Of course I had so many questions, but I knew that they would explain it more to me during rounds tomorrow morning. He and I laughed and he said that they just wanted to test my patience and mess with me this week. I smiled and said, no...someone is testing my patience, and my patience is paying off. God is taking care of everything, just as we knew he would.

I called Larry and we had a huge celebration about the news. I still want to know why one team was so concerned and the board was not...but I will ask them tomorrow. Tonight, it is great to know that she will be coming home and our normal life will begin together as one! Larry and I miss each other a lot, so I will be going home tomorrow to spend time with Kaylee and him. We will be heading back to Children's Friday night and staying in my apartment until Saturday afternoon. I can't wait to give Kaylee a huge hug and share great conversation over a home cooked meal.

Update:
Most feeds are taken by mouth
Breast feeding is getting better
She has complete control of her temperature
NO SURGERY IS NEEDED
Scheduled to go home in a week or two
Mass will be monitored by ultrasounds
Brain bleed will be monitored by ultrasounds
AFP levels in her blood will be randomly checked