drama

So we visited clinic again today for our December chemo, and as usually mama comes home with a worry. I'm trying so hard to focus on how well she is doing and not the minor side effects and set backs of chemo, but it's so hard for me to not worry. Her counts were great her anc in the 3000s and Dr. G thinks going back to school after Christmas would be fabulous, she actually suggested and encouraged it. Also Cora feels great! Lately I am really starting to notice that (with the exception of her 5 days a month on steroids) she really is less fussy and tantrumish and much more predictable. So what's the worry you're thinking... Her blood pressure. It seemed to be a bit elevated today. It never has been ever before today, but I had the nurse check it four times just to be sure. We're not exactly sure why it's elevated, but Dr. G has a few theories and wants to keep a close eye on it. One possibility is the simple fact that usually I don't give her the first dose of her monthly steroid until after her clinic visit and today I gave it to her early this morning. That by itself could be enough to elevate blood pressure. But of course there all kinds of other side effects of treatment that can do it as well that can be a bit more serious. So for right now we've been encouraged to keep a food and drink journal of everything she eats and pretty much eliminate sodium and sugar. Dr. G is a big fan of a "natural" diet which is really better for all of us anyway. We've tried to minimize her sodium and preservatives until now, but we're gonna try to really be vigilant about it now. We do pretty well for breakfast and dinner, but I'm gonna have to rethink lunches. I am not sure turkey and cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and pb&j are great choices. Basically it's just gonna take some creativity (and more work) on my part. We're gonna get a juicer and make our own juice because juice Dr. G made a pretty big deal about how high in sugar and sodium store juices really are, but I am not sure Cora can live without juice. There's a pediatric endocrinologist that comes in town and sees Backus patients once a month so Dr. G is going to consult with him as well. Hopefully, this too will turn out to be nothing serious and we'll all be healthier and better off for our diet changes anyway. If any of you ultra healthy pure eaters have any food suggestions for us, PLEASE share!