Whew! Back Home Again!
Ahhh...there is no place like home. =-) Another trip to Ark Children's is in the history books. Usually it's just Taevy, Kendi, and I that will go but today we all 6 made the trip. My kids are really amazingly good travelers. Might have something to do with all of the road trips we've taken to Wichita and Cincinnati over their lives. Even Kendi is holding her own now--no 2 hour crying jags today!
It takes about 5 hours each way for us to get there, but it is so worth it. Man, we are LOVED! Or at least, they make us feel that way! We were supposed to go up last Tuesday for the appointment but I canceled because of Eric's transplant. I didn't talk to anybody that *I* know when I canceled that appointment, but boy-howdy, everybody knew about Eric's transplant. The family life specialist, the social worker, the pharmacists, the nurse, the phlebotomist, and the doc--all stopped in to give their congrats and said that Eric looks GREAT. It's hard for me to tell that much a difference in the way he looks, but they all commented about how great he looks (less swollen-looking maybe?).
And of course, everybody in the place knows Kendi. It's funny. Of course *I* think my kid is the cutest ever, but you never know if other people think she is as cute. These people really seem to think Kendi is the bees-knees. I wish you all could meet her. Pictures just don't capture her like pictures capture my other kids. Anyway, they make us feel very loved there. I'm so glad that Kendi has a great team of docs to help her as she grows up. In fact, I would say that WE have a great team, as they are definitely interested in supporting our family as a whole.
If you're anywhere near Arkansas Children's and need a great Ped Infectious Disease team, I highly recommend Dr. Stovall and crew! And Nancy, the nurse....she is a treasure just in herself! Any time I have any question or any concern I can email or call Nancy and have a response within an hour (and actually, usually within 10 minutes). It's so refreshing in today's day and age of impersonal medical care.
Kendi officially starts meds tomorrow. We're going with crushed pills over syrups. Kendi gags with medicine syrups so I'm hoping putting the crushed pills into some sort of food/drink will go over better. Please pray for a good outcome! She will be taking Combivir and Kaletra. If you've got a positive sweety on these meds, and taking in crushed pill form, I'd love to have your advice on what foods/liquids have worked best for you!
Love,
Anita
1 comments:
Hi Anita,
Yay!!! It's a big day at the Gillispie house. I was a PEDS HIV RN for two years before going back to Grad School and going to work as a Nurse Manager. Combivir is wonderful, two meds in one, SO nice for kids. Kaletra liquid tastes FOUL, it's a good thing you went with the pills. Does Kendi like chocolate? I'd try it in chocolate pudding first. Or, chocolate "yogurt" (Juliana speak for ice cream). Chocolate is strong enough to mask most flavors. Maybe she's like Juliana though and you're hit or miss on things she actually enjoys that other kids LOVE. For example, Juliana won't eat anything off the menu at McDonald's. My other four look at her like she has two heads.
You all are SUPER blessed to have your little Kendi in your lives, and I can tell that you know it.
--Becky
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