A walk through clinic....

Hi everyone! This is Reiss! Im just popping in to give you a little tour. 

Have you ever wondered what happens at "clinic"? 

Let me walk you through...

First, while in the parking lot at PCMC, my mom puts the lidocaine cream on my port site. It doesn't hurt, but as soon as we enter the parking garage I start getting a little nervous. I know that when she uses that cream those doctors are going to touch me and bug me. Plus that cream and the sticky paper (press and seal), irritates my skin. Mom thinks I'm sensitive to it, so we don't use it anymore!! 

After we get checked in, at the front desk, they take me back to see how much I weigh! I don't know WHY they have to do this every time... don't they know I am all muscle?

Then, they measure me to see how much I've grown! Usually, it's the same as the week before. 

I mean, how much can one kid grown in a week?! 

I wonder how big I will be when I don't have to come here anymore! 

This is when they give me ANOTHER bracelet and some stickers with my name!

I'm starting to have quite the collection!

After all that fun stuff they take me, and my mom, back to a little room.  There is this funny toy that I shake and play with. There are lots of beads and other things in it. I like to try and figure out how it works.   

 My momma is the best. She is always by my side and makes me feel safe when I'm scared.

I also like this little toy that is on the wall. It keeps me busy for about 2 minutes. 

Sometimes my mom makes me brush my teeth! She can be so embarrassing sometimes! :)

That sticky paper (press and seal) is actually kinda fun to play with. I wanted it on my foot! My mom pretty much does what I say these days. I think she's wrapped around my little finger... whatever that means! 

This is where it gets tough....

The lady (nurse) comes in and starts bugging me. She wants my shirt off and then she starts touching my port like she owns it! She cleans the area really well, and makes me and my mom wear our masks to prevent infection. I want to tell her to back off and leave me alone. But then, I hear my mom's reassuring voice telling me, "It's okay, buddy. No owies...remember it doesn't hurt because we put the cream on. She's going to be really fast." 

I'm scared, but I'm also REALLY BRAVE!

This is the part that they call "accessing the port". 

My mom was right... It didn't hurt, but I'm still a little nervous about what these people are doing to me. 

 Even Superheroes cry sometimes! 

After my port is accessed, we wait for the doctor and play games on mom's phone. Sometimes the nurses bring me an ipad to play with too! That's REALLY fun!

 I think I need to ask my mom for one of THOSE!

Then the doctors start coming to see me. I don't cry when I see them, because they just talk to my mom about how awesome I am. Then, they have to examine me, to see it with their own eyes.  

I am pretty amazing if I do say so myself!

This is Dr. Sato.  Dr. Lemons comes in too, but we didn't get a picture of him. He's really soft spoken and nice. My mom thinks we have some great doctors.

Finally the nurse comes in all "gowned up" to give me my chemo. They have to be really careful and cautious to not come in contact with the meds. She just puts it right into my "straw" that goes into my port, and I don't even have to stop watching my movie. It is really fast. 

SO that's it! This day was one of our quickest visits. There is also an area that is lined with chairs where other kids like me, are receiving blood transfusion, chemo and other things. We didn't have to go there this time, but I will have my share of those chairs! It's just down the hall from this little room.  

After we are done with clinic, sometimes we head downstairs to RTU. That stands for Rapid Treatment Unit. It is where they do the lumbar punctures and other things. It is basically an operating room for quick procedures. They give me some sleepy meds, and before I know it I'm waking up. Then I get to eat chips and slushies. Thank goodness my mom and dad are there when I wake up... I love them a lot! 

I hope you enjoyed your walk through clinic! 

I'll be there next week if anyone wants an autograph or picture! 

Love, 

Reiss

PS. Thank you for the love, prayers and support you have shown me and my family. I'm feeling pretty special these days, which is good, because life sure is different that it use to be! There are some amazing people in this world and YOU are one of them! Thank you!