Monday, June 16, 2008 - Last month, Mady entered the Maintenance 1 phase of her chemo protocol. There are 8 Maintenance phases, each 12 weeks long (not to be confused with a single 96-week Maintenance uber-phase, for some reason).
During the Maintenance phases, she will get:
- a daily oral dose of Mercaptopurine,
- a weekly oral dose of Methotrexate,
- five oral doses a month of Dexamethazone, and
- one intravenous dose a month of Vincristine.
I believe that she will also get periodic lumbar punctures for testing her spinal fluid and for administering prophylactic chemo to her brain. Of course she will also continue to get regular blood draws to monitor her ANC, white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelet count--and she'll occasionally get "topped off" with units of whole blood or platelets when she's low.
If I've done my math correctly (and she doesn't have any events which delay portions of her treatment), she will take her last dose of chemo (a lowly Mercaptopurine pill) before she goes to bed on the evening of Thursday, March 11, 2010. Mark your calendars!
When that happens, this blog will read "Day 916," Mady will have celebrated her 16th birthday just a little over two months earlier, and the Celtics will be looking good to win their third consecutive NBA championship. It will be a truly sweet to be finished with this long, arduous, and painful journey. Completely done, and leukemia-free.
By the way, Mady is at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp this week!
4 comments:
Thanks for this latest update, and challenge of trying to pronounce those meds to be injected or imbibed during the maintenance period. it's something to be able to learn all those treatments and hopefully understand them! Will mark our calendar for March 10, 2010, and celebrate! XXXXOOOOGP&E
once a week I read or reread Mady's story which includes- between the lines- the emotions of the family, the fragility of life, the ups and downs, the highs and lows of long term treatments and I marvel at the cosistency of positive vibes that make up the woof and weave of Mady's saga. The strength of the family is a blessing to all of us. March 10th 2010 is not so far away after all is said and done. Much love and God Bless.
Congratulations Mady! On to high school-I remember sitting for you when you where no yet talking. Time flies. Enjoy your summer. Laurie and Dan on Whidbey
Sending you good thoughts every day. Love you very much. J,T,F
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