Radiation treatment pt.1
Today marks Penn’s 12th treatment. She has officially completed 1/3 of her marathon treatment journey. Penn is doing well, despite daily trips to the therapy centre. Penn has gone through an insurmountable amount of change - physically, mentally and emotionally. She continues to smile, laugh, play and enjoy ice cream. She amazes us each and every day. This is a summary of what we experienced the past three weeks.
Week one: Penn is experiencing hallucinations, personality changes, significant irritability right after taking keppra (anti-seizure medication). Penn has no interest in eating, sleeping or playing with Paige. All she wants to do is lay down on the couch. Thanks to COVID, only one parent is allowed to accompany a patient while receiving treatments at the therapy centre. Penn cries for dad every day we enter the facility. Entry staff always question why I am bringing a child to the cancer clinic. I aggressively shout behind my mask, “because my daughter has treatment” while Penn continues to cry for dad. Trust me, it’s not like we want to be there and having a fun field trip. Sheldon and I advocate for Penn to stop her keppra medication because it is doing more harm than good. It takes a good week for her to be back to her normal self.
Week two: Entry staff no longer question why I am taking a kid to the cancer clinic. Screening is swift while Penn continues to cry for dad. Penn notices the following art along the hallway to the radiation treatment room: Sunflowers, family of cheetahs, the waterfalls, the dragon, pink flowers and the green rocket ship. We now have our rhythm and routine. Penn’s blood pressure, oxygen levels and temperature are taken. I hold her in my lap while Penn cries “don’t touch it” as the anesthesiologist sanitizes her PICC line before administering the “milk”. Penn stops crying, goes limp and I carry her onto her bed. The respiratory therapist removes her mask and is ready to give her oxygen. I remove her flower ruby earrings (ones I wore when I was her age) before she is transferred to radiation room 5. I give Penn a kiss on the forehead and tell her I will be beside her when she wakes up. I meet Sheldon outside and we walk around the hospital for 30 minutes. I head back to her room and put on her earrings before she wakes up. Penn always wakes up hungry and is adamant she opens her lunch bag and chooses her snack. She has a wide variety of snacks to choose from and the selection changes every day. Penn picks her bedtime story every night. Every day this week she chooses, “C is for Cancer.”
Week three: There are now five kids being treated daily at the therapy centre. This has never happened before apparently. On average, the cancer clinic only has one pediatric patient a year. Penn’s sense of smell is quite sensitive (she can’t stand the smell of vinegar). Play therapy is going well. Penn now understands that there are two rewards if she lays very still, with a mask in the radiation room - she can watch Paw Patrol and she won’t need a PICC line. We are hopeful that Penn won’t be sedated for her treatments. Penn is starting to lose her hair. The left side of her head is nearly bare. I can’t braid her hair anymore. I woke up to Penn cleaning all the hair on her pillow that fell out throughout the night with a lint roller. Her scalp is quite itchy and we often massage her scalp with Cerave multiple times a day.
This is what play therapy looks like. We left Penn in the radiation room and talked to her via the cameras/microphones.
