The Team

**I will get some pics up here soon.**

Since Kait was admitted to the hospital on a Friday and didn't get to her room until Friday night, this was the first day (Monday) that everyone that's here during a regular work week was around.  First I will tell you that Kaitlyn's day was similar to Sunday--sick (but not AS sick) in the morning and then steadily better late afternoon and evening.  The good thing is that the anti-nausea meds make her sleepy so, along with the fact that she's still pretty much on Saipan time, she can sleep through most of the sick-ish hours.  Of course, she stays up all night long--which is when she feels the best--but she's being interrupted all the time then with chemo, vitals, bathroom runs, etc., anyway.  That's also the time she gets to chat with Saipan friends.  I'm very thankful for little things like that that work out well for her.

So--here's what we learned from all of our medical team visitors today:

Teri, The Dietitian Tech - Kaitlyn is on a low-bacteria diet.  This is to reduce the possibility of any kind of infection.  Some of the familiar foods she CANNOT have are fresh fruits, fresh veggies, honey, yogurt (adults can have it, but kids cannot--?), nuts, and dried fruits among other things.  She CAN have homemade treats as long as they are fully cooked and do not contain any dried fruits or nuts.  Or honey, I guess.  

Caroline, The Physical Therapist - One of my concerns has been Kaitlyn becoming weak not only from disease and treatment, but from too much time in bed.  I was happy to have Caroline come in and talk with her about the importance of getting out of bed everyday--even when she doesn't feel that great.  She watched Kaitlyn take a few steps and affirmed that she is strong and moves well now, but made her promise that she would get up every day to sit in a chair, take a shower, walk around the room, etc.  She is arranging to have a stationary bike brought into the room next week that she encourages Kaitlyn to use.

Wendy, The Social Worker - I had a few questions for Wendy--Q: Can I stay in Kaitlyn's room the whole time she is here?  A: Yes, of course.  Q:  What happens at the end of this first 28-day cycle?  A:  Normally, if the patient is in remission and everything looks good, they can go home for a few days.

Well, that is the problem isn't it?  "Home" is 5,000 miles away.  So this was the opening for a discussion about the possibility of transferring to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.  We have 4 other children who live in Salt Lake and many friends in the area--some of whom are friends from Saipan.  It is honestly the closest thing we have to home in the States, so Kaitlyn very much wants to go there.  Treatment for her leukemia is protocol driven which means that every U.S. children's hospital uses the same treatment, the same drugs and the same schedule.  Wendy even said that, since public transportation such as a plane would not be possible, she can arrange a flight in a private plane with a volunteer pilot who would take us there for free.  So, if the insurance company will work with us on this--and Kaitlyn is in remission when the 28 days is up--well, we really want to ask everyone to pray for that.  I am not sure which will be tougher--the leukemia or the insurance company!

Blessings:

• Again, modern technology--especially communications.
• The wonderful flight attendants especially on the flight from Guam to Hawaii.  
• Friends and Family and Facebook.