Preparing for the home stretch

Stella had her last Ara C dose at Hassenfeld today, and will wrap up her 6-TG course on Sunday.  This week and last have been very busy, as Stella has gone to Hassenfeld Monday through Thursday both weeks to get the Ara C.   Most families choose to have a nurse visit the home over this two-week stretch to administer this medicine, but we're so close to Hassenfeld that it's better for us to just go in to have it done.  It's a comfortable environment for Stella, with tons of activities for her, and nurses she already knows well (and she definitely has favorites--you do not want to be one of the nurses that Stella freezes out).

So here's what we're expecting over the next couple of weeks before Maintenance begins:  The medicine Stella has been taking will cause her blood counts to drop, which will require at least a couple of transfusions--of platelets as well as blood--to counterbalance.  Sounds a little scary, but it's really not--at least in the scheme of things.  This is how this part of the treatment is designed to work.  Once Stella's counts climb back up to levels that are high enough (or in two weeks, whichever comes later--the milestone date at right reflects the earliest-case scenario), Maintenance will begin.  We'll fill you in on the details of what that will entail in a later post.

And it is of course worth mentioning that Stella is looking and feeling good!