Can I freshen up your methotrexate, Hun?

Can I freshen up your methotrexate, Hun?
Not the most pleasant evening. Aunt B and I got here a little after 9 then she took Rachel home after the changing of the guard. Charlotte was feeling pretty uncomfortable due to the catheter and I was trying to do what I could to calm her including the old, lay-on-the-edge-of-the-bed-try-not-to-fall-out trick which actually worked a little.
The nurse (Nurse Katie, who looks a lot like Reese Whitherspoon) came in to check on the catheter because her diaper was wet and while her diaper was off, she leaked onto the bed. This is a big problem in multiple ways; first off, they need to see how much she’s peeing so they can be sure she’s adequately cleaning out the drugs she’ll be getting. Second, last night, they hooked up the first of the chemo drugs, methotrexate, (a really fun chemical the whole family can enjoy! Learn more about it here: http://www.drugs.com/methotrexate.html), and it’s very toxic, especially when it touches bare skin. That’s why a catheter leak is a bad thing. A monumentally bad diaper rash is the least of her worries if exposed for too long.
So…along about 11pm, Nurse Katie and another whose name I didn’t get came in to deliver the bad news. They were going to have to replace the catheter with one that had a larger balloon. Not nearly as traumatic as the first one but no fun nonetheless. Fortunately, she had already fallen asleep and as soon as the procedure was done and the screaming stopped, she was out again. Unfortunately, Nurse Katie, who is a nice and very capable healthcare professional, has become Medusa in Charlotte’s mind as she was the one who changed the catheter and who woke her up throughout the night to check her out and change more diapers because, guess what, she’s still leaking. Not sure what the point of the catheter is when we’re changing diapers every 20 minutes. Dr. Kahn should be in soon and we’ll figure out what to do next.
Our neighbor is a tiny little boy named Silas and he has a serious hernia. He had surgery to repair it and they will, hopefully, be going home to South Boston (past Farmville) today. He makes the funniest sounds when he sleeps and has a great set of lungs when he’s unhappy. They’ve been great to have as roommates. Mom loves WALL-E as much as we do and has been very patient with all commotion surrounding CJ.
As we’ve said before, if you have to have a sick kid, MCV is the place to bring ‘em. Not the least reason is Miss Monica from the kitchen. She cooks good meals and brings them around to all the kids’ rooms. She also slips parents meals sometimes if there’s something extra. She even threw something we brought into her oven. Breakfast this morning was pancakes, sausage, and eggs. CJ didn’t eat much. I think the chemo is having it’s effect and her belly is a bit upset. Overall she’s doing pretty well now, watching TV, telling everyone she loves me and mommy, telling the nurses they’re nice (angels compared to how she feels about Nurse Katie), and asking lots of questions about Silas in a hushed voice.
Gotta go attend to the princess…