And the PICC is out!

Today was the day - Alexis got her PICC line taken out!

Lex woke up feeling okay but was very nervous. Luckily, Scottie didn't have work this morning so he was home and my mom was able to come over for Alexis. I needed them here for her because I knew there was a pretty good chance that I would feel nauseous or light-headed. For some reason it happened every time Alexis got her dressing changed. I think I just get myself all worked up because I can't stand to see her in pain like that.

When the nurse got here Alexis got herself really worked up. She was crying and saying she didn't even want the nurse to take the dressing off. I don't blame her - she still has that rash and the blisters so she knew taking the dressing off was going to irritate it even more. Lex also said she didn't want the PICC line taken out. She was so scared. She thought it was going to hurt. She wouldn't even let the nurse go near her arm. She kept saying "I want to just keep it in forever". My mom had to hold Alexis and her arm so the nurse could get to it. At this point we really just wanted it over with. Alexis lost it when the dressing was coming off but within seconds of the dressing being off, the PICC line was out. Lex had no idea it was even out yet. We told her it was over with so she could calm down and she said "ohh, really?". That made me feel a little better because I knew that she was crying because she was scared and not because she was in pain.

Once it was out the nurse cleaned it up a lot and covered the actual site where the line went into Lex's arm. The rest of her arm looked pretty yucky still. Luckily, the rash and blisters didn't get worse than it was on Thursday night. I am so glad she can leave it open now so it can really start to heal.

Although the whole thing was pretty traumatizing to Alexis, it was nothing a big bowl of ice cream couldn't fix! This afternoon Lex's friend came over and then we all went to watch the older girl's softball game. Lex was running around and playing like any other kid. She was feeling okay and her arm wasn't bothering her too much. A couple times I caught her trying to scratch it so I knew it was a little itchy still.

When we got home I cleaned it up really well with alcohol swabs. Then I put hydro-cortisone cream on it to help with the itching. When she was ready to go to sleep I covered it with gauze pads to protect it for the night. Within a couple days her arm should be completely back to normal.

Alexis really loved not having to do the IV tonight. Now that she is finished we have to do a lot of waiting. We wait to make sure the side affects from the medication go away. We wait the two weeks  to check her white blood cell count again. We wait to see how her lyme disease symptoms respond to the treatment. I am praying this has worked and that she never has to go through anything like this again. It's too much for a little girl to deal with.

I just want to thank everyone who has been there for us all throughout all of this. This would have been so much harder without the support from our family, friends, Lex's teachers and coaches, and from all of you who have taken the time out to pray for Alexis or read this blog. It's overwhelming how many people really care about my little girl. It means more to me than anyone could imagine.
So, THANK YOU ALL!

Now we close this chapter of Alexis' journey and start the next...