Sydney's Journal - September 2009
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Yesterday I went to my clinic for labs, but they weren't able to get any blood to come out of my port. They said ports can wear out after a while, but there's a chance they could get this one working again. So today I went down to the hospital with Mommy where they attempted to flush my port with a special chemical to break up any clogs. Unfortunately, after two tries and many many many hours of sitting in the hospital today, they weren't able to get it work.
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After looking at some special pictures of my port, my doctor felt that it may still be possible to get it working again. He didn't see anything in particular clogging it up, so they decided to try one more time with the special chemical. It seems to be working in the IN direction, but they can't get anything out. They really need to get some blood out of me to do labs, because I have to have labs done before I get a transfusion. Unfortunately, the chemical didn't work and they had to try to find a vein on me instead. My veins are hard to find because I'm so small and I'm anemic. I hate needles. It took several tries (in my arms, hand and even my foot), but one nurse at the end of the day was finally able to find a good vein and get enough blood out for labs. It was another long, no-fun day at the hospital, but at least they got labs and I'll be able to get my transfusion in a few days.
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Today they tried to give me a transfusion down at the clinic, but apparently my port has completely failed. A few days ago it seemed it was working in the IN direction, but today it was not working at all. Instead, I had to get another needle poke and get my transfusion the old-fashioned way. Fortunately, nurse Helena found a vein on me in the first try. She takes good care of me.
Since my port is no longer working at all, I have to stay at the hospital tonight with Mommy so a surgeon can take out my old port and put a new one in tomorrow. I'm a little nervous. What a long week this has been.
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I woke up this morning in the hospital to the sound of a knock at my door. It was Pastor Todd coming to see me before my surgery. He read a story with me and said a little prayer before the nurse came in and told me it was time to get ready. So I got changed into my gown, drank some medicine, and they wheeled me away to surgery. Mommy couldn't come with me and that made me sad, but I was brave.
The next thing I know, I was waking up in my bed again in a different room. The surgery was all done and I felt really really sleepy. The people there were really nice and they took good care of me while I woke up some more. After a while they wheeled me out into the hall where everybody was there to greet me. Mommy, Daddy, Lily and even Miss Kelly were there. I was so sleepy but very glad to see them. We all went back to my room where I rested for the rest of the day and that night I finally got to go home. I was very sore, but very glad to be home.
Thank you to Dr. Plumley for doing such a good job on my surgery.
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It was kind of a rough month, so Mommy and Daddy decided to surprise us with a trip to Universal Studios for some fun. It was such a nice day and it wasn't crowded at all. I've been there once before but it gets more fun every time I go. The only down-side was I somehow managed to fall down and hurt myself on four separate occasions. Fortunately, Mommy brought band-aids but we actually ran out before the day was over. Daddy says I inherited the clumsy gene from Mommy (whatever that means). Despite the injuries, I had a wonderful time. I got to meet so many of my favorite cartoon characters and ride fun rides. My favorite, though, was the Pteranodon Flyers. I just love to fly.