Merry Christmas!

We are home and Christmas Morning has been wonderful. The kids are all enjoying their new presents and having a good time together. On our way home from the hospital yesterday we had a few errands to run (ie. the post office, gas station, few last minute groceries and the pharmacy) So my husband and I took turns running in to the different places while the other stayed in the car with our daughter. I had gone to Costco pharmacy to pick up her Zofran (anti-nausea medicine) on Tuesday while heading back up to the hospital, from a good nights rest at home. The Pharmacist told me that he didn't have it in, but that he would get it in by the next day. So we stopped at Costco (our last stop before getting home) and I ran in to get the prescription. When I got there they told me it didn't come in. I was sick to my stomach all we had left was enough for two more doses not even enough to get us through to Christmas Morning. The Pharmacist told me that he had called around to all the local Costco's and the Jolley Pharmacy's and none of them had it in stock. The supervisor came out to assure me that he would have it in by Friday (the day after Christmas). I told him that that would be too late I had to have it today. They then told me that they had called and left a message on our home phone that morning telling me that they couldn't get it in today. That is great, but I failed to give them my cell phone number and we were staying up at the hospital and didn't get the message. He told me that I would have to go back up the the children's hospital to get the medication. We live about 40 min. from the hospital (sometimes longer with traffic)and the last thing I wanted to do is head all the way back up. I asked if there was any other pharmacy (ie. walgreens) that would have it and he quickly let me know that this was a Children's Oncology drug and it would have to be delivered to any of the pharmacies since it is not used that often. He told me there was one other hospital that we could go to about 20 min away if we wanted him to transfer the prescription. I told him that would be great! We got in the car and I was telling my husband that we had to turn around and go to another hospital to get the Zofran. He reminded me that the Oncologist let us go home early (8 hours early)with the agreement that we would heavily hydrate our daughter with clear liquids at home and we had already been in the car an hour and a half with all of the running around, so we needed to get her back home to start her hydration period. She was a little upset and didn't want to drink anything while we were in the car, I think she wanted to be home. Just as we pulled out of the Costco parking lot she started throwing up. It got everywhere including down her shirt and all over her dressing (bandage covering her central line). When it gets really wet you have to change it to prevent infection entering her body through her line. My husband pulled over and got out of the car and I jumped from the front seat to the back all in about five seconds and we started clean up mode. I yelled at my husband to get back in the car and get us home (yes, these trips to the hospital take all of our energy out of us, even the energy that makes us nice!?!) I tried to clean her up the best I could with wipe ups and get the chemo throw up off of her, and her soiled clothing in a bag. Once we got home dad bathed her and I headed back up to the other hospital to get her prescription and then down south about 45 min. to pick up our other kids just in time to turn around and head home so that we could have a little bit of Christmas Eve together before bedtime. Once I got to the hospital I walked up to the main entrance doors (automatic doors) only to nearly run right into the glass. Apparently the doors had been having trouble opening. Luckily about one minute after getting to the doors (and trying to jump and wave around the door to make the sensor detect me) a man walked up and said "Oh, are the doors not working again? Let me get my badge and I will let you in." I finally made it to the pharmacy counter (sorry this story is getting pretty long, I have never been good at telling the short version of a story, just ask my parents!!!). When the guy checked me out I got slightly teary eyed. Silly, I know, but I have never been so excited to receive a prescription before in my life. There is nothing worse than watching your child throw up time after time after time. Zofran is my #1 favorite medicine ever! I think that the build up of tiredness, stress, etc. over the past four days of being up at the hospital did me in. I almost started crying to my Brother In-law on the phone when I let him know I would be on my way to pick up my other kids. I was so grateful to finally pull into my own garage and walk into my house knowing that all that was left was fun and relaxation for the next couple of days! What a wonderful Christmas this is!