Madie and I sat down and the nurse did the same thing that was done last time. Put the rubber band on her arm, wiped down her arm with alcohol and got the toy ready to distract her. I began playing with the toy and awaited the scream. But there was no scream. I looked to her arm to see what was taking so long, and the nurse had already begun collecting her blood! That little stinker sat there, looking back and forth between the toy and the needle and didn't make a peep. She apparently didn't feel a thing because she didn't even flinch when the nurse inserted the needle! She obviously does NOT take after me.
It took a good 2-3 minutes to collect enough blood for the test, and as soon as we were done, the nurse had to walk her blood over to Parkland to the big fancy machine that is only turned on a few hours a week. The test was very time sensitive, as they only had 30 minutes after the draw to get it tested. We had to wait until the blood had been safely delivered before we could leave, but Madie enjoyed playing with the toys and watching the other kids in the waiting room.
We are still waiting on her hematologist to review the results of the test, but I'm hoping to hear back from her early next week. She sounded optimistic at our last appointment and said this platelet disfunction disorder is not something serious or anything we will really have to worry about.
Thank you all for your thoughts, concerns and prayers. Some were answered today as this is the face we got after her blood draw. No tears, just huge grins.
On another related note, if you have a free moment today, please send up a few prayers for the other children that we saw while in the oncology department. I cannot imagine the hurt that some of their little bodies must endure. It is truly heartbreaking.
