Stage 1

It's Day 1 after the surgery and B is resting comfortably in the hospital bed beside me. Avie is settling down in the corner with Hubby while he thumbs through my Kindle. Finally, a moment to update our family and friends.

B's smile returned today as soon as Avie and I arrived. She was pleased to see her sister and requested that Avie sit with her on the hospital bed, while B perused the new DVD selections I brought her. We were happy to see the first of what will be many sisterly moments between them. Both girls, holding hands, while Snow White sang her way through the forest. I snapped a pic of 'em with Hubby's Bberry.

The epidural stopped working this morning, so the Pain Management Team opted for a continuous morphine drip instead, as well as Tylenol every four hours. Seems to be doing the job. Although not her usual chatty self, she has downed two jello bowls (orange and blue, her fave colours, of course) and has turned on her side by herself to sleep more comfortably. Good signs.

One of the oncologists came by a few hours ago to examine our little girl. Her news? Although the pathology on the tumour has not yet come back, they can tell us that the tumour is Stage 1. What a relief! That means we've caught it before it has spread anywhere else or affected the lymph nodes. It also means the least intensive chemo treatments of the five stages--probably. We are still waiting to find out if it's Wilms' tumour, but the doctors seem confident that it is. (I can't believe I am actually rooting for one type of cancer over another, but there you go.) They expect that we should know by Friday. At that point, someone will come to see us and discuss chemo further.

All we know for now is that Candlelighters will pay for our parking pass throughout her treatments (which is wonderful) and that she will likely lose her hair. I had secretly hoped, even though I knew it was completely unrealistic, that the surgery would be the end of the cancer and she would not have to undergo any treatments. I really had envisioned a nice summer at home with both my girls this year. We were going to go to the beach and to the zoo....it was going to be a very busy and memorable summer. It will be--but not the way I had imagined it.

B should be mobile by tomorrow and the nurses and doctors expect that we should be home by the end of the week. Hubby doesn't seem so certain, but who knows? B is strong and brave and resilient. I wouldn't be surprised if she bounces back by tomorrow.

In the meantime, we are all recovering at CHEO. B is the one in the hospital bed, but all of us have felt like we have been through the wringer this week. Lucky for her--she has the morphine.

PS: Avie just rolled over on the empty hospital bed beside us. Way to go, Avie-cakes!