CANCER: Chemo Round Two - Laced with Blessings (Great Report)
It's Tuesday morning, the 23rd, and I arrive at 9:30 to the Bruno Cancer Center. As I walk into a waiting room filled with people....men and women of all ages....for just a split second I feel as if I am in the wrong place. What am I doing here? As I enter, I turn to the left, walk to the counter and enter my name and time of arrival. Oh yeah, I have cancer and I am here for treatment.....just like all of these other sweet souls waiting for their chemo treatments.
Ashleigh and I sit and we wait. I am called back and I go to be weighed, have my blood pressure checked, blood is taken, and then I have my port flushed and the set-up for the day is attached to my port so that I can receive my chemo. Now, I get to go back outside to the waiting room until my name is called again.
This time, when my name is called, I go to an exam room where I will meet with my Oncologist, Dr. Bondly. I have an Oncologist....still seems strange to say out-loud. Today, we discuss some things like herbs, spices, and essential oils that I want to be assured that I can continue to use. She told me some that I needed to stay away from while on chemo, but most were cleared. Then, she wanted to do an exam. I knew that would happen today. I have been anticipating it. Today, we see if the cancers are shrinking. Especially of interest is the "firey, angry cancer" - as my Imaging Doctor described it - knot on my right breast....the big one.
I had felt some pain right where that knot is after my first chemo treatment. Not constant, but off and on, I would have pain. I also noticed the skin on it becoming flaky and slightly peeling. I felt in my heart that it was shrinking. The pain I was feeling was the chemo doing what it is supposed to do.
YES - YES - YES!!!! Dr. Bondly said it was definitely shrinking! Praise God! Such beautiful news to my ears! I already knew it in my heart, but it felt awesome to hear her confirm it! In addition, all of my blood markers were perfect today! We are on target and right where we need to be in this process.
I get dressed and go back to the waiting room. Packed with people....always full. As one leaves, two more come in their place. Now, I am waiting to go back to start chemo. They finally call my name and Ashleigh and I walk through the doors and down the hall to a HUGE room filled with chemo bays, each one with a patient sitting in a nice recliner, covered in their warmed blanket, doing whatever they want to pass the time while the chemo flows. A chair is provided for a guest to sit with each patient. Most are filled; however, not all. Some of these sweet people are going through this today with no one here with them. That deeply saddens my heart. Although they have called me back, there is no place available for me yet, so I am sent through other exit doors to sit for a while longer until a bay is ready. As I sit, I realize other names are being called before me. One comes through the exit door and another name is called. I am the sixth one called.
One thing I must say, everyone at the Bruno Cancer Center is awesome! They are so generous with their loving kindness. So tender to try not to hurt you more than you already are. They let you know that they are praying for you. Every bay has a Bible available as well. You know God is present and He is looking over His sick children with so much love and compassion. He is using these medical professionals to bring healing and I feel Him so close.
I take two types of chemo fighting drugs at each treatment visit. My drugs are Ellence (Epirubicin) and Cytoxan (Cyclophosphamide). After two months, I will change to a different drug, Taxotere (Docetaxel) which I will take for another two months. This plan will hold true as long as I do not have any negative side-effects that will alter this plan. There are SO MANY negative things that can go wrong with these drugs. Some can even give you other cancers....on and on the list goes, but those things - the "what ifs" - cannot even be entertained in my mind. I MUST and I WILL stay focused on the positives of chemo because I know that God is leading my journey and He is using these drugs for my healing. So, for me, I do NOT believe I will ever have any of the negatives and they will stay hidden away from my thoughts.
Before chemo begins, I am given a series of four different nausea medications which are very strong and have done their job well for me. They are administered through my port. Love my port! One of the nausea medications is a steroid. It has a CRAZY side-effect! The "negative" only last for two to three minutes, but it is a very uncomfortable - somewhat painful - experience. It feels like a hundred needles or possibly a hundred hornet stings....all at one time.....and then add a hot sensation with it....all in your lower extremities. OK....I don't think I need to say more. You try to look normal and sit as still as possible, but it is not an easy trick to pull off.
After all of that, the chemo starts. First the "Red Push"....three very large tubes and then the bag drip. You are free to unplug the unit holding your medicine and go to the restroom if needed and plug back in when you return. It operates on a battery if you are up and moving around. The Center not only provides warmed blankets, but drinks, water, coffee, and snacks. They want to make sure you have something available to eat and drink while taking the treatments so as not to get weak.
Each area has four bays. Across from me today is a very sweet looking lady who is alone. Ashleigh went to check out the snacks and brought me back a drink and a snack. We started a conversation with the lady across from me when we saw her getting out her cell phone cord to plug in her phone and we knew that she wasn't going to be able to manage plugging it in. She didn't seem as mobile as I am. Ashleigh, being her sweet servant self, went over and offered to assist her in getting her phone plugged. We started to talk and she really started to open up about some of the brokenness in her family....especially between she and some of her children. Her husband was deceased and she, at the age of 77, tries to be independent. She shared her name with us, Gwendolyn, but said she prefers to be called Gwen....so Gwen it is. Ashleigh asked her if she would like a drink and a snack, she did, so Ashleigh went and got it for her. She asked me, "Do you ever drink Boost?" I told her that I haven't, but that some friends had suggested that I might try it while going through treatment. She said that she had almost a case that she had purchased from Sam's, but she didn't like that flavor. She told me that she was going to bring it her next treatment day and leave it at the desk with my name on it. She also told her nurse that she was going to do that and the nurse thought that was so cool. As time passed, she said that she was so cold; although, she had a small blanket and a warming blanket on her. The warming blanket was no longer warm. I unplugged my unit and rolled it with me to the desk and told them that she was cold. I wasn't cold and wasn't going to use my blanket so I asked them to give mine to her. They were happy to do it and I was happy to help my new friend, Gwen, get warm. She has been battling colon cancer for almost a year and now she has some spots on her liver. Seventy-seven years old and fighting with all her fragile strength to beat this horrible disease. So sad! Before she left, she mentioned that she was going to have to order her a thicker blanket. Well, that is all I needed to hear. When she leaves me the Boost, I will be leaving her a new blanket that I am going to make by hand for her.....a thick double layer, plush flannel blanket. We are of different races, different generations, but none of that matters and never should. My heart belongs to all people and I could tell she felt the same way. Our appointments are both on November 6th so I hope we will actually get to see each other. I really want to see her face when she gets the blanket. Please add Miss Gwen to your prayer list. She is going through so much and needs everyone's prayers.
God is SO GOOD! Even in the middle of our circumstances, we are given opportunities to serve others, to share, and to show God's love through the little kind things we can do. All we have to do is be open, look around, listen, talk, share.....the opportunities are there and the reward is the joy you can bring to others.
After my chemo is completed each time, I have a device placed on my stomach that contains medication to help build white blood cells. It is called Neulasta and it is a bone marrow stimulant. It is placed on my stomach and within a minute a needle injects my stomach and then retracts. Over the next 24 hours it will stay on my stomach until near the end of that time, the medicine will dispense into my body. It can cause bone pain and spasms. I was told after it was put on the first time to start taking Claritin (Loratadine) and that would help offset the pain. One day, after my first treatment, I took the Claritin later up in the day and by evening, I was experiencing horrible back spasms. The next morning I made sure to take it first thing and have since then. The pain and spasms lasted to later that day, but ended and have not returned.
It is 2:00 pm and my day in the Bruno Cancer Center is done for today. I have my precious sweet daughter by my side to care for me and drive me home. My sweet son, Michael, stayed with Norah Jane and Sadie so that Ashleigh could be with me. My family is the best! They all love me so much and take such good care of me. WOW! I never take anything for granted. I know how blessed I am!
Another day at Bruno Cancer Center and another day leaving with a feeling of being blessed to receive treatment and to share in the journey of another who is traveling a similar path with cancer.
Shine your light where ever you are, but make sure your light is shining His Light for all to see through you. Amen! †
Every prayer is being felt!
Every prayer is being heard!
God is listening and He is healing me!
Please keep lifting my name before our Heavenly Father.
#GodisLeading #BlessingsinChemo #MyGoalisCancerFree
"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou are my praise." - Jeremiah 17:14
Ashleigh and I sit and we wait. I am called back and I go to be weighed, have my blood pressure checked, blood is taken, and then I have my port flushed and the set-up for the day is attached to my port so that I can receive my chemo. Now, I get to go back outside to the waiting room until my name is called again.
This time, when my name is called, I go to an exam room where I will meet with my Oncologist, Dr. Bondly. I have an Oncologist....still seems strange to say out-loud. Today, we discuss some things like herbs, spices, and essential oils that I want to be assured that I can continue to use. She told me some that I needed to stay away from while on chemo, but most were cleared. Then, she wanted to do an exam. I knew that would happen today. I have been anticipating it. Today, we see if the cancers are shrinking. Especially of interest is the "firey, angry cancer" - as my Imaging Doctor described it - knot on my right breast....the big one.
I had felt some pain right where that knot is after my first chemo treatment. Not constant, but off and on, I would have pain. I also noticed the skin on it becoming flaky and slightly peeling. I felt in my heart that it was shrinking. The pain I was feeling was the chemo doing what it is supposed to do.
YES - YES - YES!!!! Dr. Bondly said it was definitely shrinking! Praise God! Such beautiful news to my ears! I already knew it in my heart, but it felt awesome to hear her confirm it! In addition, all of my blood markers were perfect today! We are on target and right where we need to be in this process.
I get dressed and go back to the waiting room. Packed with people....always full. As one leaves, two more come in their place. Now, I am waiting to go back to start chemo. They finally call my name and Ashleigh and I walk through the doors and down the hall to a HUGE room filled with chemo bays, each one with a patient sitting in a nice recliner, covered in their warmed blanket, doing whatever they want to pass the time while the chemo flows. A chair is provided for a guest to sit with each patient. Most are filled; however, not all. Some of these sweet people are going through this today with no one here with them. That deeply saddens my heart. Although they have called me back, there is no place available for me yet, so I am sent through other exit doors to sit for a while longer until a bay is ready. As I sit, I realize other names are being called before me. One comes through the exit door and another name is called. I am the sixth one called.
One thing I must say, everyone at the Bruno Cancer Center is awesome! They are so generous with their loving kindness. So tender to try not to hurt you more than you already are. They let you know that they are praying for you. Every bay has a Bible available as well. You know God is present and He is looking over His sick children with so much love and compassion. He is using these medical professionals to bring healing and I feel Him so close.
I take two types of chemo fighting drugs at each treatment visit. My drugs are Ellence (Epirubicin) and Cytoxan (Cyclophosphamide). After two months, I will change to a different drug, Taxotere (Docetaxel) which I will take for another two months. This plan will hold true as long as I do not have any negative side-effects that will alter this plan. There are SO MANY negative things that can go wrong with these drugs. Some can even give you other cancers....on and on the list goes, but those things - the "what ifs" - cannot even be entertained in my mind. I MUST and I WILL stay focused on the positives of chemo because I know that God is leading my journey and He is using these drugs for my healing. So, for me, I do NOT believe I will ever have any of the negatives and they will stay hidden away from my thoughts.
Before chemo begins, I am given a series of four different nausea medications which are very strong and have done their job well for me. They are administered through my port. Love my port! One of the nausea medications is a steroid. It has a CRAZY side-effect! The "negative" only last for two to three minutes, but it is a very uncomfortable - somewhat painful - experience. It feels like a hundred needles or possibly a hundred hornet stings....all at one time.....and then add a hot sensation with it....all in your lower extremities. OK....I don't think I need to say more. You try to look normal and sit as still as possible, but it is not an easy trick to pull off.
After all of that, the chemo starts. First the "Red Push"....three very large tubes and then the bag drip. You are free to unplug the unit holding your medicine and go to the restroom if needed and plug back in when you return. It operates on a battery if you are up and moving around. The Center not only provides warmed blankets, but drinks, water, coffee, and snacks. They want to make sure you have something available to eat and drink while taking the treatments so as not to get weak.
Each area has four bays. Across from me today is a very sweet looking lady who is alone. Ashleigh went to check out the snacks and brought me back a drink and a snack. We started a conversation with the lady across from me when we saw her getting out her cell phone cord to plug in her phone and we knew that she wasn't going to be able to manage plugging it in. She didn't seem as mobile as I am. Ashleigh, being her sweet servant self, went over and offered to assist her in getting her phone plugged. We started to talk and she really started to open up about some of the brokenness in her family....especially between she and some of her children. Her husband was deceased and she, at the age of 77, tries to be independent. She shared her name with us, Gwendolyn, but said she prefers to be called Gwen....so Gwen it is. Ashleigh asked her if she would like a drink and a snack, she did, so Ashleigh went and got it for her. She asked me, "Do you ever drink Boost?" I told her that I haven't, but that some friends had suggested that I might try it while going through treatment. She said that she had almost a case that she had purchased from Sam's, but she didn't like that flavor. She told me that she was going to bring it her next treatment day and leave it at the desk with my name on it. She also told her nurse that she was going to do that and the nurse thought that was so cool. As time passed, she said that she was so cold; although, she had a small blanket and a warming blanket on her. The warming blanket was no longer warm. I unplugged my unit and rolled it with me to the desk and told them that she was cold. I wasn't cold and wasn't going to use my blanket so I asked them to give mine to her. They were happy to do it and I was happy to help my new friend, Gwen, get warm. She has been battling colon cancer for almost a year and now she has some spots on her liver. Seventy-seven years old and fighting with all her fragile strength to beat this horrible disease. So sad! Before she left, she mentioned that she was going to have to order her a thicker blanket. Well, that is all I needed to hear. When she leaves me the Boost, I will be leaving her a new blanket that I am going to make by hand for her.....a thick double layer, plush flannel blanket. We are of different races, different generations, but none of that matters and never should. My heart belongs to all people and I could tell she felt the same way. Our appointments are both on November 6th so I hope we will actually get to see each other. I really want to see her face when she gets the blanket. Please add Miss Gwen to your prayer list. She is going through so much and needs everyone's prayers.
God is SO GOOD! Even in the middle of our circumstances, we are given opportunities to serve others, to share, and to show God's love through the little kind things we can do. All we have to do is be open, look around, listen, talk, share.....the opportunities are there and the reward is the joy you can bring to others.
After my chemo is completed each time, I have a device placed on my stomach that contains medication to help build white blood cells. It is called Neulasta and it is a bone marrow stimulant. It is placed on my stomach and within a minute a needle injects my stomach and then retracts. Over the next 24 hours it will stay on my stomach until near the end of that time, the medicine will dispense into my body. It can cause bone pain and spasms. I was told after it was put on the first time to start taking Claritin (Loratadine) and that would help offset the pain. One day, after my first treatment, I took the Claritin later up in the day and by evening, I was experiencing horrible back spasms. The next morning I made sure to take it first thing and have since then. The pain and spasms lasted to later that day, but ended and have not returned.
It is 2:00 pm and my day in the Bruno Cancer Center is done for today. I have my precious sweet daughter by my side to care for me and drive me home. My sweet son, Michael, stayed with Norah Jane and Sadie so that Ashleigh could be with me. My family is the best! They all love me so much and take such good care of me. WOW! I never take anything for granted. I know how blessed I am!
Another day at Bruno Cancer Center and another day leaving with a feeling of being blessed to receive treatment and to share in the journey of another who is traveling a similar path with cancer.
Shine your light where ever you are, but make sure your light is shining His Light for all to see through you. Amen! †
Every prayer is being felt!
Every prayer is being heard!
God is listening and He is healing me!
Please keep lifting my name before our Heavenly Father.
#GodisLeading #BlessingsinChemo #MyGoalisCancerFree
"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou are my praise." - Jeremiah 17:14
#GodisLeading #BreastCancer #DoubleMastectomy #IBelieve
#BeatCancer #GodisHealing #PrayforaCure #PrayerWarriors
#BilateralBreastCancer #BreastReconstruction #HeProtectsMe
#WhereHeLeadsIWillFollow #GodisinControl #GodisaGoodGod #PraiseGod #ThankYouJesus
#MyGoalisCancerFree #MyCancerWarisOn #CrushingCancer
#MyGoalisCancerFree #MyCancerWarisOn #CrushingCancer
#CancerWillNotWin #IAmBeingHealed #MyGoalisCancerFree
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