Week 3 - The Complete Works - a week of treatment

This week started off with a lot of illness, I was feeling very nauseated from the various treatments I had received, plus just adjusting to the line and the pain that caused.  The clinic scheduled me for a week of treatments, so I arrived on Monday for my first bloodwork and immunotherapies of the week.  I spent 3 hours receiving treatments, then went back home to rest. 

On Tuesday I got my first chemotherapy.  I had to go in fasting for a few hours beforehand, then they dropped my blood sugar really low in order for the medicine to reach the tumor more effectively.  After an hour or so of feeling weak and shaky, I was able to bring my sugar back up and sit in the recliner waiting to recover.  I went home and slept for a few hours, wondering if I could do this for 14 weeks!  Thankfully, I will only receive one or two rounds of chemo per week, because that is a tough gig. 

The next day was New Year's Day, so the clinic shut down and gave us all the day off from therapies.  My family was able to visit with some cousins, and enjoy a relaxing day in sunny Arizona.  Life is settling into a bit of a routine that we can feel comfortable with.  We got the kids started back to some school work, and are working at keeping up the chores and mealtimes so that the family feels normal with this new adventure. 

On Thursday I received some nutrition and vitamin infusions that made me feel much better, and I even started to get my appetite back!  I also went in for a brain MRI Thursday morning, just so they could be sure the cancer hasn't tried to make its way up there.  I thought I would need some anti-anxiety meds for the MRI, but that morning I just felt so calm and relaxed that I passed on those medicines.  I'm sure the prayers of friends and family are helping me make it through each procedure!  Because I have the permacath, the nurses didn't have to stick me with needles, and so I had an almost nap in the noisy tube while they took the scans.  My right ear has been giving me trouble, and decided to plug up on Wednesday, which helped make the MRI quieter, too. 

On Friday I received more chemo, and this time it went very easily.  I ended up working on a cross-stitch, and watching some videos on my phone while I received the treatment.  Afterward, my family got to go out to eat at a restaurant, and I felt like eating for the first time all week!  We relaxed afterward with a walk in the nearby park with our dogs, and a funny movie at the house.  On Saturday, it was hair day for most of us.  Camille got a new lovely wolf-cut at a salon she'd been wishing to try, Connor got some of his thick hair trimmed, and I got a shampoo (it's so hard to wash my hair now that I have a cath to keep dry!).  I had one final appointment of the week, to get an echo-cardiogram, and that went well (I think!).  Maybe I'm just getting used to being a patient, but the appointments are getting easier each time.  

The permacath is still causing a bit of pain each day, and makes it tough to sleep at night, but it's slowly healing.  My ear finally cleared late Saturday night, after much work with various drops and strategies!  It's nice to be able to hear again.  Our family is doing well, and finding things to enjoy out here.  We hope to go home at the end with renewed vision and grateful hearts.