We returned to Melbourne 5 weeks after the last trip. We missed the usual EUA date this month as Isla was booked for another round of IAC on the 17th of January. The eye doctors were free that morning to conduct Isla’s EUA while she was anaesthetised for her second round of IAC. We also met with an oncologist in Melbourne this trip. Isla still has an oncologist in Adelaide, however since an oncologist in Melbourne is required to prescribe the chemo drug for her IAC, they thought we should probably have a quick face-to-face with that doctor. The oncology appointment was on Wednesday and then we had most of the afternoon free before her procedure the following morning. We made the most of this time and went for a walk and had dinner in the city. The Australian Open was on at the time, so the city was buzzing with people. It’s always nice to get out and experience some of the benefits of being in Melbourne and see more than just the airport and the hospital!
Not a fan of her first babychino!!
Again there was a chance of the IAC not going ahead once the eye team had a look at Isla’s eyes, but we knew it was very likely that we would be staying until Friday. So flight and accommodation plans were a little less complicated this trip, but still a bit of a hassle, as Ronald McDonald House can’t confirm your room until the day. This time there wasn’t a room for us at Ronald McDonald house, so we stayed in the Care By Parent unit of the hospital Wednesday night and at a hotel across the road Thursday night. Isla was the only patient having IAC this time and we arrived at the medical imaging department at 7:30am. Being on the morning list made fasting a little easier, which was nice. A play therapist was booked this time to help distract Isla while eye drops were administered, temperature and blood pressure taken etc. It took a while to get started again, but eventually she went in and Garreth and I went to get some breakfast. We didn’t go far this time as the eye doctors were going to call us back once they had carried out the EUA. That didn’t take long and we went back to speak to the eye team about how things were looking after the first IAC. The two small tumours found in December are now inert. They brought the screen in to show us the pictures of her tumour. For your interest, these pictures are not Isla’s eyes, but these are the sorts of images the ophthalmologists obtain/look at/compare during the EUAs.
FROM WIKIPEDIA – NOT ISLA.
Morleyj, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
They showed us that the tumour had shrunk since the first round of IAC. It hadn’t shrunk quite as much as they would have liked, but it was shrinking, so they did want to go ahead with another round of IAC and suggest we will probably do 3 rounds. While we were speaking to the ophthalmologist the radiologist was getting started with the second round of IAC. We also had a brief chat about some of the other options available if the IAC is not successful. We do still have a few more options up our sleeve, but there is still a very real chance that Isla may lose her right eye. It wasn’t long after speaking to the eye team that we were called back as the IAC had not been successful. Isla’s arteries went into spasm and they were unable to get into the ophthalmic artery to deliver the chemo. Following this, Isla was on blood thinners for 2 weeks as her arteries may have remained narrowed and she was at risk of developing a blood clot. We met Isla in recovery once she was awake. She had some food and was happy enough, but this was probably the worst she had ever been in recovery and she vomited a few times. By the time we got up to the ward, she was pretty much back to her normal self and eating happily. Garreth spent the night in hospital with her and I went back to our hotel room at around 10pm. Isla had a good nights rest and we were discharged in the morning. We were home by Friday afternoon.
© Alison Davey 2021
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