No Joke

So, Georgia is off the PEG train. After taking the actual shots like a champion (again), she quickly developed a severe allergic reaction and had to be admitted to the hospital Tuesday night. Streak over. Sort of.

We're focused on staying out of the hospital for things we can possibly avoid (like infection from being around sick folks or too many folks, especially when her numbers are low), but this was a situation we couldn't prevent. In fact, about 30% of kids have some sort of allergic reaction to the PEG shots at some point, although the severity varies kid to kid, dose to dose. While Georgia never quite reached respiratory distress, it was very close, and the amount of medicine required to counteract the full-body hives and nausea told us loud and clear that we can't put her through this again - especially since subsequent reactions would probably be worse.

What this means, as I understand it, is that she will most likely receive an alternative asparaginase medicine that is given in six shots for every one PEG shot. I'll let you do the math on that, but the answer is: it's a lot more shots. Luckily, Georgia is a Shot Warrior - did you know? Indeed. Plus, the chance of an allergic reaction is much smaller than with the PEG version, and the side effects are supposed to be less intense, so I think(?) it's a good trade-off. The bottom line is this medicine is so important in fighting leukemia, she has to have it one way or the other, so whatever we have to do, we'll do it, Peachy Keen style!

That said, the one good thing about spending the night in the hospital? A surprise visit from Floyd the Therapy Dog, in all his Easter finery:

In other news, we are one month away from Will's first century ride in honor of Georgia! If you haven't donated to his efforts for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, please click on his picture in the sidebar to learn more. Also, he and his wife, Dianna, have started a blog (click on the link in the sidebar) about their participation in Team in Training and their dedication to helping find a cure for blood cancers. Their journey began when Dianna's niece, Allie, was diagnosed with ALL as an infant 15 years ago, and they are still doing their part every day, so thank you, Will and Dianna!

That's all for now. We hope everyone has a great weekend!