Selective Hearing

Today Saskia had to have several check-ups and tests done to see if the chemo sessions had any negative effects on the overall functioning of several vital organs. The first was her heart - all clear.
The second was her hearing. This one had some issues. Apparently the higher frequency sounds are not so clear for her anymore. In order for her to hear these frequencies, they need to be louder. One of the potential side effects of one of the chemo drugs is (partial) loss of hearing, which is irreversible. Saskia need to have one more session with this type of chemo, which means that hearing loss may get worse. The oncologist has mentioned that they will do everything possible to reduce the doses, but the main concern is to rid the body of the cancer and if that comes with some loss of hearing, that this is a relative small price to pay. At least it confirms that Saskia has selective hearing....

The blood test of today showed that she was very low on blood platelets, so she had to have a platelet transfusion. All-in-all a busy day for Saskia with not too much good news. Once she heard that she needed a platelet transfusion, she got all upset and did not want to speak with anybody. And that's when Captain Starlight steps in. Captain Starlight's sole purpose is to bring smiles to sick children by distracting them from their illness. And the team at the Women's and Children Hospital in Adelaide is absolutely great at it. It didn't last too long before Saskia could smile again and was her usual bubbly self.

Straight after the platelet transfusion, Saskia went with her Nana into town to have a little bit of "nana time" and managed to get a huge appetite. Although she did manage to keep her food in during the last couple of days, she never ate a lot. But that all changed today. Finally her appetite is back.
Next week Tuesday she will have another blood test and if all is well, she will start her fourth round of chemo then as well. This will be given over three days with two over-night stays. Please keep her and our family in your prayers.

Stomach says "no...."

Wow. What a week. After Saskia came home on Monday 11 November, feeling very weak, she was re-admitted in hospital on Tuesday 12 November. The chemo had such a bad influence on her stomach, that she just couldn't keep anything in. Saskia tried her hardest, but nothing could stay down for much longer than 1 hour.
Her last real meal was on the wednesday before she started her chemo, so after 6 days of no food, you can imagine how weak she felt.
There was not a single drug, which could settle that stomach. On Friday 15 November (9 days without food), the doctors even mentioned that if this would continue for a few more days, she may have to be fed intravenously. But even that would have doubtful results as the food still has to go through the stomach.
But then suddenly, on Friday night after a small meal, she managed to keep it in and slept the whole night through. In the morning she took a little bid of breakfast and that stayed in as well! Fantastic news, so she was allowed home and although Saskia is still very weak as she lost about 3kg, she is home and relative healthy, but in real good fighting spirits.

Meanwhile, her supporters group is growing by the minute. There will be a family fun day at Mount Barker organised by our friend Krista Hodgson and owner of "Chilli Hair". She and her friend Alice Hilam have set up a fund raiser to go bald for Saskia and raise some money for a good cause. Check out their Facebook page "Chilli Hair shave for Saskia". My ex-colleague and friend Ard van der Heide ran with his family 10km for Saskia in Singapore during the "Run for Hope 2013" event. There are many others, friends, family and total strangers who help out in our daily lives as well as the start of our restaurant.
Seeing all these people work hard for Saskia is a humbling experience and certainly encourages Saskia to continue her fight in great confidence. She has to be back in hospital next Thursday for a check up and then it should be another week or so before the next round of chemo.

Third Chemo Session Done!

Although the exclamation mark behind the title is meant to visualise some sort of celebration, it also means that this one was a tough one.
Luckily, Saskia had a few more days to enjoy her relative health as the PET scan could only be done last Wednesday, while her chemo was suppose to start again on Monday 4 November. However, in order to get a reliable PET scan, it can only be done when the body is not under the influence of any chemo. So her chemo was delayed with three days, which meant that she could go to school and have an "all girls out evening".
On Tuesday she went with Melanie, her Nana and two very good friend to the movies. It is great to see Saskia in such good spirits, she is so comfortable with her baldness, that even in full view of everybody in the restaurant, she just takes her hoodie off and totally looks relaxed.

She also has a good doses of self humour. The day after Halloween, she woke up, took a "selfie" and posted this on instagram "waking up with a bad hair day....". Her attitude has changed so much over the last couple of weeks and she takes this journey in comfort.
Not that there are no times of discomfort, but she is comfortable with the fight if that makes sense.

Last Thursday she went in for her third chemo session. This time she had to be admitted to hospital, as the drugs she was to receive had to be flushed out on a continuous basis. This drug was quite a nasty one and made her feel really sick from the moment she received it. Although we were allowed to go home late Monday afternoon, she is still very weak and can hardly eat or drink anything. We hope and pray that she will be able to get something in her stomach soon, otherwise we will end up in hospital within the next couple of days.
The hospital visits for chemo treatment seem to be the wrong way around: you get in when you are in relative good health and get out feeling really, really sick.
Please keep carrying her in your prayers.