Today marks the beginning of an intense phase in Skylar’s treatment. Over the next few days, she’ll be on a combination of three chemotherapy drugs: rATG, Fludarabine, and Busulfan.
The day started early—Fludarabine was administered around 3:30 a.m., and Skylar handled it well. But everything changed once they began the rATG infusion. We were warned in advance to watch for signs of a rash, which could indicate a poor reaction. Instead, just minutes into the infusion, Skylar began shaking uncontrollably. Then came the grunting, which quickly escalated into her bearing down and grinding her teeth—signs of an intense and alarming reaction.
Thankfully, the nurses responded immediately. They called the doctors and quickly administered steroids to help calm her system. The infusion continued over six hours, but around 7 p.m., as the steroids wore off, the reaction returned. Once again, the medical team jumped into action. Watching Skylar go through this not once, but twice in a single day was terrifying.
Despite the fear and the intensity of it all, we are so incredibly thankful for the quick-thinking, experienced nurses and doctors who knew exactly what to do. Their fast action made all the difference.
Skylar is resting comfortably now, and we’re holding onto that.
And as a side note… I think I’ve officially lost more hair than she has—probably from the stress.
