Archive: October, 2011
This past Tuesday, I had my port removed. Just so everyone knows what that is, I got the description below from Wikipedia:
In medicine, a port (or portacath) is a small medical appliance that is installed beneath the skin. A catheter connects the port to a vein. Under the skin, the port has a septum through which drugs can be injected and blood samples can be drawn many times, usually with less discomfort for the patient than a more typical "needle stick."
Over the course of my treatment, I got a lot of different medicines, had a lot of blood drawn, and had to get blood and platelet transfusions. Having the port kept me from having to get an intravenous needle in my hand or my arm every time I needed treatment. My port was kind of a tricky one and sometimes the nurses at CHOP (except the oncocology nurses that got it right the first time, every time) had a hard time accessing it. My parents figured out early on that if my port needed to be accessed, we needed an onco nurse to make it happen. They open ports all day every day and they never missed.
Since first grade, Rachel has been swimming with the Monmouth Barracudas, a year-round competitive United States Swimming Club program. She hopes to continue competitive swimming after her cancer treatment; if not, she envisions coaching someday or maybe a career in medicine. Figure skating and jazz dancing have been big parts of her life. One of the things she hates about being in the hospital is missing her dog Cocoa and her many friends.
Rachel's doctors
These are the key physicians overseeing Rachel’s care at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia:
Naomi Balamuth, pediatric oncologist, specializes in treating pediatric sarcomas, a subset of solid
tumors.
Richard B. Womer, pediatric oncologist, led studies of the latest chemotherapy treatment protocol
for Ewing’s sarcoma.
John P. Dormans, M.D., chief of orthopaedic surgery, is an international expert in the surgical
treatment of musculoskeletal tumors.
Timeline of Rachel Kovach’s Treatment
Dec. 3, 2010: Pain in Rachel's right knee is initially diagnosed as tendinitis.
Jan. 20: An MRI reveals a tumor in right leg.
Jan 24: Rachel sees John Dormans, chief of orthopedic surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Jan. 27: A biopsy confirms Ewing's sarcoma.
February to mid-April: Regimens of chemotherapy alternate every other week. The three-drug regimen is given over two days; the two-drug regimen is given over five days.
May 3: Surgery replaces most of the right femur with a prosthesis.
May 5: A Children's Hospital team will help Rachel get out of bed.
May 10 to September: Alternating regimens of chemotherapy are to resume.
Around May 10: Physical therapy will begin in the hospital and continue for at least several months after Rachel goes home.
