6th injection pics
Heading to OR
Finishing up - 6th injection
Ling with K - 6th injection
1 comment January 29th, 2010
Archive for January, 2010
5th injection
K had her 5th injection this past Friday. Ling joined her once again in the IV ordeal. As injections pass, Tia & I are becoming more creative with the IV process. Pretty soon, Ling will be headed into the OR for the injection, too! K did great as usual. Her biggest issue is the soreness in her back after the injection, so we are managing it as best as we can. I think that she is starting to get tired of being at the hospital day to day, so we try taking walks in the afternoon to help alleviate. Yesterday, we attended mass at the International Christian Fellowship and walked around the Olympic Sailing Center, which was right outside of the hotel where mass was held. It made for a good Sunday.
Getting the IV
K and Ling with the IV
Heading to the OR
Add comment January 25th, 2010
Halfway mark – 4th injection
We made it to the halfway mark! The 4th injection was uneventful. K went through it without issue. The IV insertion was the big event, as Ling, K’s doll, also got an IV of her own. It made things so much easier.
2 comments January 19th, 2010
Catching up… 3rd injection
This has been a very busy week for all of us. Oz and the boys went home last Saturday. Tio Pepe left this Wednesday. So, it’s just Tia Caryl, Kaelyn and Mommy (me). Kaelyn’s week was packed with therapies, including another session of electric wave therapy that was added along with acupuncture during her massages. Her 3rd injection, which was on Wednesday, was not as easy as the others. The doctors were hoping to use local anesthesia and a small amount of valium to help calm her. Needless to say, she fought them the whole time and as a result, was sore and cranky for a couple of days after. Tia Caryl and I did everything possible to calm her. This weekend is going smoother and we are somewhat settling into our surroundings. We are gearing up for her next injection which will be done with general this time, similar to the 2nd one. Hopefully, she won’t give the docs such a hard time!
Mommy, Kaelyn and Tia
Electric wave therapy - arms
Add comment January 17th, 2010
2nd injection
After a long week of various therapies, we reached the point of our 2nd stem cell infusion. This one was a tough one. Kaelyn had to be put under general anesthesia, so they could pull her bone marrow for processing along with perform the lumbar puncture for the stem cell infusion. She was hysterical as she was wheeled down to the OR, but within seconds of administering the anesthesia, she was out and extremely calm. Oz and I were nerve wracked, of course. It was about a half hour after she went in that the doctor came out to tell us that everything went well and they were waiting for her to wake up. She did extremely well. Now it was just a matter of keeping her in bed for the next 24 hours. That was the rough part, but we made it through.
2nd injection
K resting after 2nd injection
A side note… We celebrated Ry’s birthday today. He was excited! We cut a cake with some of the families here and he had an exploding candle. After K was settling in from the injection and resting, I took the boys and one of their new friends to the indoor playground across the street. They drove the bumper cars, rode a number of the rides and played in the arcade. They had a great time. 
My aunt & uncle from Texas arrived late in the evening, so Oz went to meet them. They came by for a quick kiss and hug. From here, off they went to rest up, since they will be on duty after Oz leaves with the boys the following morning.
It was a long busy day!! We were exhausted.
Add comment January 12th, 2010
1st injection
Kaelyn met her head therapist yesterday and got the therapy schedule for the rest of the week. She is going to have PT twice a week, along with massages and electric wave and standing therapy.
Therapy eval
Kaelyn also got her first stem cell infusion via IV yesterday. The biggest issue was getting her to sit still for the IV. The injections are normally given in the afternoon, so we waited patiently until it was time. Once it was ready, we headed up to the IV room to start the process. She did great, fussed a little bit because she still isn’t comfortable with all the new faces. We also made a new friend while in the IV room who was getting her 5th injection. Overall, Kaelyn had no issues with the stem cells, so we are looking forward to the next one towards the end of the week.
IV Placement
IV Room
6 comments January 5th, 2010
Our 1st day
Our day started out pretty early today. Kaelyn had blood work done first thing and hated it! Right after we had breakfast. (Thank goodness for the new McDonald’s that opened up across the street last week, and let’s not forget the KFC! The boys went nuts when they found out that they were literally across the street from us.) Then, off to the mart (also across the street), to get some daily essentials and snacks. Finally, K had x-rays done and then, an attempt at an EKG. She was hysterical! It is still the New Year’s holiday, so the hospital is pretty quiet. It should pick up tomorrow, Monday. Overall, this weekend, we have become great UNO players and will probably wipe out my movie supply soon.
McDonald's
2 comments January 3rd, 2010
A new chapter – Qingdao
Settling in at the hospital
We arrived in Qingdao yesterday and headed straight to the hospital. We met our translator, Jack, and driver, Cliff. Both were extremely friendly. After being convinced that we all fit in the hospital room, we unpacked and prepared for the next month and a half. We met a number of the nurses and one of the doctors came by to do an initial evaluation on K. It looks like we will starting immediately after the initial tests are completed and everything is ok.
2 comments January 3rd, 2010
