day two in the big green chair

Here’s a quick recap of treatment day #2, so far. Had a good morning at work and in meetings. Then at lunch time had blood work done. Dana and I decided to go to Panera Bread for lunch, figuring that soup and bread would be mild enough for treatment. I was surprised to see Dr. Birhan, my oncologist, directly in front of us in line. So, as the Lord led, I gave the lady the card and paid for his lunch as a gesture of thanks for his kindness. He was surprised and appreciative.

An hour later, after a good time at lunch with Dana, I’m sitting in the big green chair once again. It’s been a month, and this is one chair I haven’t missed! 🙂 We started this time with two bags of anti-nausea medication that took about an hour to administer. The pharmacist came in and talked us through all the pills I’m supposed to take over the next week. Also, I’ll be giving myself an injection, once a day for seven days, of something called neupogen—a drug to jump-start the growth of white blood cells.
It was nice not to have an IV this time. The nurse just stuck my port and had a direct line into my system. Very convenient and much less painful. Glad I got it. Plus I have both arms free, which makes the whole process better because I can sit here and type, work, etc.
At first the anti-nausea medication made me lightheaded and dizzy, but that’s worn off now. As I type this, we are three doses of medication into the chemo treatment with one left to go. With the port, I don’t feel the medications going in like I could with an IV in my arm. That’s a good thing too.
For the past two hours I’ve been answering emails and text messages, doing a little online Christmas shopping, and talking with Dana about what to get our kids for Christmas. All is well.
So, in summary: Right now, cancer cells are screaming painful death screams and running for their lives, lymph nodes are getting a significant attitude adjustment, and all the other cells are buckled up for the rough ride over the next few days. My digestive system has a significant dose of every nausea medication we could track down in this hemisphere, and every individual hair is hanging on for dear life. From here forward, I’m hoping to stay on schedule—every two weeks.
Thought of the day: Daniel 2:20 “…Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever…” Daniel’s response when he narrowly escaped death at the King’s command! More on this later!
Thanks for praying for us! (By the way, I posted a few new pics at the bottom of the photo page…)