Easter Bonnets and Bar-b-ques

Since the start of the year, Tabby has been going to ward 2 at the "Sick Kids" between 2 and 5 times a week for chemotherapy, blood and marrow tests. Last week, she and Donella returned for a consultant update. Our consultant, Dr Thomas, told the medical students in attendence that Tabby was the model patient and despite all that was going on was still going to school and playing tennis and going swimming. Tabby is amazing!

At the end of last week Tabby had a blood transfusion as she was getting a bit anaemic. We cannot decide if the donor was Usain Bolt or Rhianna. She has not stopped running around, dancing or singing since. We can barely keep up!

Without doubt the chemo does take its toll - unexpected tummy or back pains, sickness and lots of early nights. Tabby may feel really hungry but as soon as food appears she has a sore tummy and cannot eat. At other times all her old favourites taste horrible or just yeuch. So far, however, chicken fajitas remain a winner. It can be very hard and we just have to go with the flow.

There are so many things that Tabby wants to do and although she feels well enough, with only a handful of white blood cells she is really susceptible to any infection or bug going round - she has just finished a course of antibiotics for a chesty cough. She really wanted to go to Sunday school today, but for all these reasons, we thought it best for her to stay ay home. Tabby cannot wait to go back to Sunday School and see all her friends again.

We have had a good weekend. Tabby made an Easter Bonnet at school and proudly wore it when I picked her up on Friday.

Today Donella, Tabby, Olivia and I went for a cycle around Dundas estate. In the warm sunshine we saw pheasants, swans, rabbits and llamas (yes there is a field of them at Dundas).

When we got home we cleaned all our garden furniture and had the first Bar-b-que of the year - until the gas cannister ran out! Hey, who cares? It was just nice to sit out in the warm evening sun. Here's hoping for a long warm lazy summer.

Next week for the first time since December, Tabby has a Chemo-free week. The week after, however, the gloves are off!

We start on the "Escalating Capizzi Regimen". This is an intensive period of high dosage of chemotherapy. Although all is scheduled on an 0ut-patient basis, we have been warned that most children on this protocol need to be admitted as an in-patient at some stage. We will wait and see. Rest assured we will keep you posted.

As ever, thankyou for reading this blog, your support and your prayers,

The Lawsons

A busy 2 weeks for Tabby

Lunch with Tabby and Miss Piggy

Firstly my apologies for the delay in posting this blog. It has been a busy fortnight - but a good one. Obviously by reading this, you have all accessed the blog page. To add things to the blog, my understanding is that you have to set up a "Google" account which then allows you to actually post things on the blog. I openly admit that Olivia did the clever stuff for me and I can just about keep things ticking over. If any of the Tabbynews bloggers can give some tips and tricks as to how to contribute to the blog, I would be delighted for you to post some instruction to those who do not have ready access to a teenager.

Two big things happened last week-end. Donella had a significant birthday and we enjoyed a long, lazy, extended family lunch on Saturday 3rd at a restaurant in town. Tabby and I had been at the "Sick Kids" that morning for her chemo and she was in fine fettle for Donella's lunch - though ate very little.

The same day, our good friend Felicity Keating hosted a girls' fund raising day in aid of "Its Good to Give". They raised £2000 which is phenomenal. From all of us , very many thanks for contributing to this local charity which makes our journey through the "Sick Kids" all the more bearable.

Tabby has attended the "Sick Kids" on 10 mornings over the last 2 weeks for her chemo therapy. Throughout this time, she has continued to go to school where possible. Last Monday admittedly, she only lasted 40 minutes before she had to go home feeling unwell. Having perked up by lunchtime, she was eager as ever to go back! The rest of the time she has her early morning chemo then goes off to school for the rest of the day. She obviously has not grasped the concept of "Throwing a sickie".

Tabby loves school. She is involved in the P2 Show "Humpty Dumpty - was he pushed or did he fall?" She is so animated about the event and we really hope she is well enough to take part when the time comes. Tabby also enjoyed Mr Luxford-Moore's blue sky thinking about the Hamish character in Moira Munro's books.

After her chemo today, we recieved Tabby's blood results. The chemo is obviously having an effect. It appears that Edinburgh indeed has more pandas than Tabby has white cells! She is also pretty anaemic. On the telephone, the "Sick Kids" nurse was was reading out Tabby's results and because of Tabby's low haemoglobin was asking if she was tired and listless. At that very moment, Tabby was hunting through the cupboard for her tennis raquet, delighted that with her "Wiggly" removed she could run around a bit! We went ot the David Lloyd, played 20 minutes of tennis then swam for half an hour. Afterwards, over a beer and "Fruit shoot", I asked Tabby how she was feeling with all that has happened. The first thing she said was that everyone was being so nice and kind. The chemo can make her feel sick and gives her back and tummy pains but otherwise she felt ok.

Hopefully we have a quiet week ahead - fewer visits to hospital. Tabby is due to get a blood transfusion on Thursday to pink her up a little followed by another dreaded Aspariginase intra-muscular injection. Understandably, she still hates these. She sits on my lap with her leg ready for the injection and has become infamous for using every delaying tactic in the book. "I'm going to sneeze", "I neeed a hankie" or just "Wait a minute". If she had been in charge of the space shuttle it would never have got off the ground. My main concern is that in the melee the nurse misses her and gets my leg instead!

Lastly I would like to thank everyone in Lochcarron for their continued thoughts and prayers and wish the Strome Ferry good fortune. I would also like to thank Joy Harry and Louise for rekindling our family's love of Pippi Longstocking and her adventures.

Keep in touch,

The Lawsons