Chemo # 3 Tomorrow

Monday, August 14, 2006
Dear friends,
Tomorrow I go for my third chemo infusion. My friend Lisa Horn is going with me. We bring our lunch and dress warmly, as it is cold in there. She is bringing a book to read for when I am too tired to stay awake due to the allergy medicines they will give me. And I hope she will bring her pictures of Italy from her trip this summer for me to see when I am awake. Lisa and I have no trouble coming up with things to talk about! We will leave about 9:00, see Dr. Bourg at 10:00 and then into the chemo room to start chemo at 10:30 or 11:00. I will probably get done about 3:00.
I expect him to do the same dose as last time unless my counts are very different than they should be. My counts have to do with how many white cells and platelets I have in my blood. Since I did the Neupogen shots this cycle, and my counts were so high (that’s good) 10 days ago, I think we will be able to stay on target with the same dose as last time. I did have side effects, but we were able to get them all under control.
Pray for wisdom that he would know what doses to give me and that I wouldn’t have adverse reactions- especially to the Taxitere. The first time I felt a little burning sensation when it went into my port, and the second time it made me shake for a little while. That could have been an allergic reaction. So pray that all will go in easily and do its job. Last time the slower infusion (due to the shaking) actually left me feeling better afterward, so I am hoping for slow again this time. We are also doing a “wait and see” to know if I will have 4 or 5 cycles. He always asks me if I am ready for chemo and I tell him, “No, but let’s do it anyway!” I have an appointment to meet the radiation oncologist next Tuesday to plan my radiation schedule.
I think I told you that one of the nurses is a friend. I think it would be neat to have her be my nurse for the day, so pray that would work out if it is God’s will. Someone else might need her more. The nurses take care of several patients at a time and move all day from one to the other and back again. Christie said she enjoys oncology nursing so she can be an encouragement to her patients and show them God’s love... I think it is petty to ask you to pray for a nice chair to sit in for those 4 hours, but some have great views of the mountains. Maybe that will work out too.
We camped over the weekend with Greg’s sister’s family and had a very nice time. I will post a few of the pictures even though I am not in them. I ended up being the photographer. We had some rain, but still enjoyed 4 wheeling, hiking, eating great food that I didn’t have to cook (Thanks Paul!), and sharing stories around the camp fire in the evenings. The kids made a movie with Shelby’s video camera and had a blast.
Allison leaves to drive to Florida for college on Thursday. She will be doing it alone this time, but is feeling confident that she’ll be OK. She has a cell phone and people to stay with along the way. She may meet up with a college friend to follow when she gets to Kentucky. Jenni and Jesse start school tomorrow. Laura flies back to PA on the 25th for her last semester of college.
Well, I will sign off and get some sleep before tomorrow. Thank you for your interest and your prayers. I am so thankful for you all. Our small group met tonight to discuss our study of the book of Hebrews in the Bible. What an amazing thing that Jesus himself became the final perfect sacrifice who gives us access to the throne of God. We have just begun this study, but already we are amazed at all that is in there to discover. I will do my best to give you an update after tomorrow’s chemo and let you know how it went. You are so appreciated! Blessings- Nancy