During the first few weeks on ward 7C in 2006 we met with teams of doctors daily. There was a paediatrics team, a haematology team and an infectious diseases team. There were other teams but these three we saw often. I remember these teams very clearly. We discussed tests Melodina was having, how they worked, what they were looking for. The doctor's were very pleased whenever a test came back negative. Then we could discuss what Melodina did not have and what the next tests would be. As time went on we became more concerned with what she did have than feeling happy about what she didn't have.
Melodina continued to eat well during that period. Because the hospital food was not great - to say the least and they often sent the wrong order I regularly went to restaurants and ordered out for all of us. It was kind of like picnicking in a hospital room. I enjoyed finding new restaurants with dishes that each of us would enjoy.
The highlights of Melodina's social calender during this period included a visit from her alpine ski racing team as well as members of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Rapters. Each of them brought gifts so we went home with memorabilia as well as memories.
More tests. One was a bone arrow biopsy where Melodina had to be anesthetized. Doctors surgically removed a bit of bone marrow from two places, one on either side of her butt. A little painful but not too bad. The procedure took place in Cujo's Room. This was named after the former Toronto Maple Leaf's goalie Curtis Joseph who donated the money for the room and its equipment and as I understand it, continues to fund its ongoing operations.
In the end we got a diagnosis of Auto Immune Haemalitic Anaemia. Too me this was more of a descriptive than a diagnosis. The theory was and still is that she caught a virus, possibly while skiing in Chilli but also possibly at school, in a shopping centre or anywhere where you can pick up a virus. The infectious diseases doctors explained that this is only a theory but that she now had no active virus and that they could not test for most of the thousands of viruses in the world.
It is thought that her immune system fought the virus successfully. Having nothing better to do it continued its activity by beginning to attack and destroy her own blood cells. During this period Melodina had several blood transfusions. After about two weeks she was put on high doses (120 mg. per day) of a steroid called prednisone. Her blood counts started to stabilize at normal levels quickly. One doctor told me that prednisone was so powerful you could give it to a corpse and it would get up and walk. The body produces small amounts of steroid naturally but theses high doses (7mg per day might be normal) were designed to kick start her system.
We left ward 7C and Melodina was discharged from the Hospital for Sick Children on January 30th 2006. Melodina was still very weak and we had to return to Dr. Droer's Haematology Clinic once a week for monitoring but we had a sense of freedom. The next day we went to Simcoe County Restaurant in Collingwood to celebrate Melodina's birthday. My mother and our friend Janet Archer were with us. I brought a bottle of wine and we enjoyed the great local foods prepared by Simcoe County's owner, Chef Doug Porter.
I'm going to the hospital now to help Melodina prepare for an interview this afternoon with one of the actor's from the hit TV show 90210. Apparently Entertainment Tonight is doing a segment on Sick Kids and Melodina is one of the patients who has been asked to participate. I'll let you know, if I can, when it will air.
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