Day One Down... Only 59 Shopping Days Left!

Nine full weeks would have my treatments ending Friday, December 12th. Treatment will actually end on Tuesday, December 9th, with my last dose of Bleomycin. That will be my early Christmas present. My cancer has nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. It's days are numbered... 59 or less by my count. Day one was uneventful, praise and thank the Lord! Karen and I checked me in about 9:00 and waited to have blood drawn. When those tests were finished, we went to the chemotherapy room to be weighed and have my medicines ordered. The pharmacist formulates the dose based on your weight, and the blood tests dictate what other chemicals may or may not be in your "soup".

The drugs (especially cisplatin) needed to be eliminated from my body quickly after infusion, so they advised me to get plenty of fluids. I started the day with two big glasses of water. By the time I got settled into my room, nature was already taking its course. I drank water the whole time, in addition to the IV fluids. They were pleased with the amount I was able to flush out. We left about 3:30... day one down and no bad side effects yet! The hair loss could come in a couple of weeks, and the nausea could happen in a few days or not at all. It's different for everybody.

The staff at the Cancer Center was great! Sandy was our nurse today, and she took good care of us. Our hostess brought us lunch. I had a turkey sandwich and Karen enjoyed some chicken fingers. We had cheesecake for dessert. Sandy brought us a portable DVD player and we watched "Christmas With The Cranks". They also brought us hot blankets because the room was a little chilly and the IV was making my arm cold.

The future may be a tougher row to hoe, but today was a good day. Praise the Lord for a good day today! Please pray for me tomorrow and the rest of this week. Pray for my strength, and if my strength weakens, pray that I can know that His grace really is sufficient for me.