2nd Chemo Treatment

This past round of chemo seemed a lot less dramatic, with fewer side-effects.
Praise God!

Her first round, we didn't know what to expect; it was unknown and scary. But even in the midst, God faithfully led us to 'green pastures' (Psalm 23), and comforted us. He is true to his word.

The big event for the second treatment was it was her first time using the port-cathetor. (A surgically inserted gizmo that allows the IV-chemo to drip straight into a main heart vein, rather than her smaller hand veins).

(picture from Bernie's blog)

Mom didn't apply a huge layer of the topical anesthetic, so the nurse's large needle definitely let her know it was going in. Ouch. The nurse told mom, "Next time, goop a whole lot of the cream on, and then put seran wrap over it, to protect your clothes. I'll wipe off the excess when you get here, but that will numb your skin better." First time for anything, there's a huge learning curve. "Didn't someone tell you?" the nurse asked. "No." Or if they did, we didn't realize 'how much' cream to put on. But next time, watch out, she'll be loaded. Good thing, the port did it's job, and there's no infection around it (which my aunt said can sometimes be a problem) and the big needle is now a distant memory.

The bone-marrow shot the day after chemo seems to be the worst re-curring part of the treatment. This shot is a 'white blood cell booster' which Mom gets it in her stomach. But the next day, Saturday, she feels like she's 80 with Arthritis, and hobbles around the house. Every bone aches. So, you can pray that those side-effects (hurting bones) lessen, but that her white blood cell count remains high.

Right before the 2nd treatment, she had her blood taken again, and her counts were still very high, so that's wonderful! It means that her body can fight off infection like it was created to do.

Stomach pains were another no-fun, repeat chemo side-effect, but thank goodness for MiraLax.

(picture from walmart.com)

Overall, for this second treatment, everything seemed less dramatic. I think partially because we'd walked the road before, and knew better what to expect, and because God's hand is powerful to sustain her. Thank you for your prayers. They matter. Even those 3 sec ones! :)

Here's the schedule: 
*Every 3 weeks, chemo treatment.
-Always Thursday
-@ Breast Care Center, where we've met really nice ladies w/ similar treatments.
Jan 12, Feb 2, Feb 23, Mar 15, Apr 5, Apr 26, May 17 (6 total)
*Day before, Wed, blood drawn.
*Day after, Fri, white blood cell booster shot, given after school.
*Weekend after treatment, ouchy bones & stomach.
*M-F, teaching at Heritage. Mom really enjoys working one-on-one with her students; they keep her smiling. She uses hand sanitizer and prays against germ-spreading, and is thankful to be able to continue teaching. She hasn't missed a day, besides the two Thursday treatment days! Yeah Mom, and thank you, God!

Your prayers and love are all part of a big-surrounding of the Lord's care for my Mom, in very tangible ways. Thank you, from all of us.

Posted by Ericka