Fall is here and like most moms this equates to the dreaded flu and cold season.But for a caregiver of a young person that is on chemo or in fact any person that is on chemo this means so much more. We have to deal with the unpredictably of whats coming ahead. And tackling it head on with a plan.
This is my first cold season with her on chemo and I am so scared. I remember last season when I use to walk into her daycare and saw a note posted on a door saying what communicable diseases a kid has caught and what to look for, or the notes from school saying the same thing. Any bug can be deadly to her, and winter makes you really aware of it.
This season just means a whole lot of unpredictably. In the past, when my daughter had a fever I could have given her some Tylenol and/or some cough medicine, set up a well appointment for later in the day and the next day she will be back in school. But now, a fever means a call to her oncologist an automatic trip to the ER to get X-Rays, blood work and missed days from school while she is trying to recover. Tylenol for a fever is not even a option for her with out going through these steps.
This year, like every other year, she had the flu vaccine. A couple of days later she was coughing day and night. I called her doctor and she said I could give her some cold medicine because she didn't have a fever. After a day or two of not seeing any improvement of her coughing I took her in to see a doctor. The doctor diagnosis her with indoor allergies. I never saw that coming, she never had allergies before but now she does.I believe she does have it because now the coughing has calm down a lot.
While, I try to make Chemo-Day a "special day", meaning that we have breakfast, and lunch out and after chemo we head to the movies afterwards. Between chemo, other doctors appointments and specialist she misses quit a number of days of school. Missing school means she is missing important school work and homework. The day she goes back to school after chemo you can see how tried she is. I mean who wouldn't be? She goes through a lot, physically and mentally. And she doesn't want to stay home with mom and do "nothing" all day she wants to be at school learning and playing with her friends.(While my daughter does miss school you cant tell by her report card. She does very well, she just needs help in one subject and I equate that for her not being in class that day.)
So what am I to do? How am I to balance my daughters education while she is dealing with this disease? Lucky, I am talking to her caseworker about a 504 plan for missed days and getting her a tutor for the area she needs help in. A 504 plan is a plan stating what needs to be done so she is not excluded because of her "disability" and what to do in case she gets sick.
So I might not know what is going to happen but keeping in contact with her teacher and school nurse helps to ensue that everyone is in the loop and know what to do. All we need is a plan .....
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| Karma at her Well check up |
