Treatment Time

Today is the second day of Alice's 3-day infusion that she receives at Children's Hospital every three months. We weren't going to start treatment for awhile - partly because I was nervous about putting her through something like this so soon after bringing her home, and partly because we wanted her to have better verbal skills and be able to understand why we were doing it. But then in March she had her 3rd major fracture (with us) breaking her femur (upper leg) clean through while dancing with her brother... The orthopedics team were in agreement that sooner would be better than later. She was in a spica cast from her armpits to her toes for 3 weeks! That was not fun. Thankfully we got a few tips from another parent on how to keep it clean. It was still really stinky by the end though.
This will be the third treatment of Pamidronate since we started six months ago. It is supposed to harden the bones and prevent fractures - let's hope it works...
Alice is asleep right now. That is unusual because she tends to be too busy for sleep. They give her Benadryl which makes her drowsy, but most of the days we spend here are filled with on-demand movies, snacks, and coloring books. Each treatment is four hours long, but we are often here for five because it can take awhile to get her hooked up to the IV. I bring my knitting.
We are so thankful for our family who have come from out of town to take care of our other kids. My mum and dad took the kids to gymnastics yesterday and did a good job filling in as homeschoolers - helping the boys with their math and even taking them to a museum afterwards, even if it was on an errand. :) (My dad was meeting someone there for work.) Today is a Montessori day so the kids just needed to be dropped off and picked up. Tomorrow Uncle Blake will get to hang out with them at the Library.
Alice does surprisingly well during these treatment days... if you consider how difficult it might be to keep a drowsy toddler occupied for such a long amount of time in a confined area. Last time we did this, she didn't even cry when they put in the IV. This time it was much harder. I find myself emotionally drained after watching her go through these medical procedures. I want to make it stop, and yet I know it is necessary. She has been through so much... My beautiful, brave girl.