Here's my first post on it:
Chemo day NUMBER 1
11-17-15
I learn something everyday.
I had a headful of pre-convieved ideas of what this day would be like from who knows how many sources. Stuff like:
the chemo burns on the way in
I’ll be sick/nauseous right away
I’ll be so fatigued I’ll sleep all day
Today was none of those things. Just another trip to the hospital where I give them some blood and they give me some meds.
But, today was the fist day of the counter attack! I’ve known I’ve had mesothelioma for a couple weeks but today was the first day I’ve (really I mean they, Doctors, nurses, etc.) been able to fight back physically.
This nasty insidious disease has had a big head start on eating away at my body from the inside out, probably for several months at the least. It hasn’t caused me any pain at all. I found out I had it based on a symptom that I thought was a intestinal blockage or something else. Within four to six weeks I’ve lost 25 pounds of muscle and fat, granted, I needed to dump about fifteen pounds anyway. Part of “My Plan†was the new job, which got me out from behind a desk, out in the field, and on my feet all day, and that would do the trick!
I’ll expand on the journey to here at a later time.
Based on conversations with the nurses and doctors leading up to today, plus my own thoughts and beliefs, I started out the day with bacon and eggs (Need the protein!) and a half a grapefruit, 1000 mg ginger capsules and a big mug of ginger tea (for nausea), the handful of new medications I need to take, Pre/during/post chemo meds (Steroids), plus two anti-nausea meds, a folic acid tablet and a large dose of B-12.
Lisa and I rolled in to the Hospital at 1PM, signed in, got called in and gave more blood for analysis to make sure everything was at acceptable levels and that my liver and kidneys function are all good. Everything checked out fine so they cleaned up the chemo port, put some freeze spray on it and slammed the needle in, no sweat.
First thing they gave me was a bag of anti-nausea meds (are you noticing a pattern here?) Then the first Chemo cocktail (Alimta) sounds like a car brand. Anyway that was 15 minutes, no reaction, no anything. Then a bag of Carboplaten that took an hour to drain, again, nothing. So I sat in nice reclining chair, (pretty comfy) and started to read The Martian that Carter bought for me while he was here. At the end of the infusion, the nurse gave me a shot of B-12 in the arm.
So I’m home, eating some leftover chicken pot pie (excellent BTW, thanks Mom.) Split pea soup, and some iced tea feeling fine.
Tomorrow I have a appointment with Dr. Paula, my oncologist, and get an injection of Neulasta, a white blood cell booster.
So, this is what I learned about Thursday (or Chemo day +2). Of course, as everyone says, everyone has a different reaction, as everyone is different, and every cancer is different, and everyone’s treatment is different, so YMMV.
I’ve been told that Thursday will be, as I’m calling it, “Crash day.â€
Best case scenario: Nothing, I feel like I do today. Pretty good. (Lets pray for that!)
Worst case Scenario: Heavy fatigue, Nausea, vomiting, weakness, muscle soreness, and severe aching in the bones.
Likely scenario: Somewhere in the middle.
So far my attitude has been really good, I do have moments that are not that great but for the most part they are few and far between. But, I'm not fooling myself either, This is a life and death bloody serious condition. I’ve briefly (very briefly) at this point, done a little introspection on a worse case scenario (Like death in the not too distant future). I’ll have more time to reflect on this issue, dive into the Word, and have many more in depth Conversations with God in the near future. Him and I have already had many conversations during these sleepless nights over the last month. I read a great little book the other day by John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Cancer. I don’t intend to with Gods help.
Right now it’s day to day juggling doctor appointments (Lisa is my Champion), reading all the relevant info I get on this, managing all the drugs, trying to eat enough, stay hydrated, trying to get some decent sleep, and work issues (I really need to get back at it. One note on that: I talked to the CEO yesterday about a new job I was just assigned, small but huge potential with a new client. We spent 10 minutes on work and 15 talking cancer, she’s a 20 year survivor!) Gods on top of this, don’t forget. She left it with,
“Anything you need professionally or personally, you call me.†Massive blessing for me and Lisa!
I mentioned earlier that today was the first day of the counter attack. That is not exactly true. The first day of the counter attack was the day I was diagnosed and we started to spread the word to our family and friends. The kids prayed, our Petaluma church family started praying and spreading the word, Chip and Faith Roberts, prayed and spread the word at Cottonwood Church here in McKinney, I put up a prayer request on Freerepublic.com that went out to at least a half a dozen prayer lists, Carter put up a blog thingy last night that got over 80 replies within in an hour, and Amy got folks on Facebook praying.
Only God knows how many prayer warriors are out there on the front line hammering God with fervent prayer for me, Lisa, my family, the doctors, the nurses, and everyone and anyone who has any input into the defeat, remission or control of this Cancer. When I let myself think about the support, I get overwhelmed at the prayer, love and support I’m receiving from friends and family (OK I get that part) but from total strangers that have no clue who I am and pray just as hard as all of you are. I look in the mirror and just see a sinner, not worthy of any of this kind of love. I have no way to humanly respond. All I can do is look at the band on my wrist at the top of this blog page and know that "Gods Got This", cause I know I don’t.
I can say thank you all, and bless you, but that does not begin to express the true depth of what it means to Lisa and me.
Jeff