These are the “tater-tots” Nancy brought me in the hospital because for some reason it was all I wanted to eat. She is too good to me.
This has been a tough week. Monday was my chemo day. I did great during the first treatments and was released home with my pump which gives me more chemo for 36 hours. Once home I began to spike a fever, got the chills and was soon shaking. Nancy and I ended up in the emergency room Monday night.
It was a long night and by very early Tuesday morning I was back on 2 West at Chester County Hospital. The entire staff of that floor are amazing! There was all kind of blood work and efforts to figure out what was going on. Two theories still are alive and well. Theory 1: I had some type of virus and when I got chemo it knocked out my ability to fight it which escalated everything to the point of needing time in the hospital. Theory 2: I was reacting to the last piece of my chemo treatment. We will not know which was correct until round 3. If I have a similar reaction we will tend to believe it is drug related and there are steps we can take to eliminate some of those reactions. If I do fine the believe will be I had a virus and it should be a one time deal…as long as I stay healthy.
Either way I received plenty of IV antibiotics along with multiple bags of fluids. Eventually I was so hydrated I spent more time in the bathroom than I did my bed. At that point “we all agreed” there was no longer a need to hydrate me. Before I left they checked my blood levels and I learned a new word, neutropenic. Neutropenia is a condition that occurs when a certain kind of white blood cells called neutrophils become lower than normal. These cells are in the bone marrow and fight infections, protect against bacteria and viruses. I received a special shot and a whole new list of instructions on how to live “my new normal” until these blood levels returned to healthy levels.
I was released on Thursday afternoon and spent a few minutes in the office before heading home. Friday has been a good day. I have felt a lot more like myself. I went to the doctors, they checked my blood levels and they had improved in just one day…which seemed to make all the nurses happy. They told me I was not longer neutropenic and that in fact all my numbers looked very good. So there you have it…how am I doing? Wait 24 hours it could be a very, very different story.
Today was a good day. It ended with a great dinner with good friends. I think it was the first time Nancy and I have sat down for dinner in any kind of settled way since my diagnosis. The church has been great at providing meals, which have been delicious and very, very helpful. It has been nice to not have to ask, “What’s for dinner?” Even with that help our meal times have been rushed, felt disconnected, and come at odd times as we have struggled to balance work, being healthy, and sometimes simply being too tired to eat. Tonight was refreshing. It felt normal. We laughed, shared stories and a great meal. In the midst of chaos normalcy reared its head and said, “You will be ok.”
Tomorrow will include some drivers ed for Rayann, a trip to the dog groomers, a few naps and in there somewhere I will finish sermon prep for Sunday.
Sunday will be a great day of worship and celebration at FBC in Kennett Square. We will be looking at the “Blessed are the Peacemakers” piece of Jesus teaching of the Beatitudes. Worship is at 11am…come join us if you are looking for a community to explore the spiritual side of life.
God is Good All the Time, All the Time God is Good
I remember that sermon!
Pastor Dan, my name is ️Eileen. I believe Marcia Burton told you about me. She is visiting me this weekend and again reminded me how much you are going through. She asked me about my experiences again. Pastor Dan, it’s been 10 years (wow!) since I went through my surgery for stage 3 colon cancer and then six months of chemo comprised of three different components plus a pump every two weeks (plus frequent shots for low blood count and sometimes IVbags of phosphorus or magnesium)
I had three trips to the ER in those six months, by the end I traveled through the hospital in a wheelchair – but 3 F’s got me through it all. FAITH, FAMILY, and FRIENDS.
From your blog and from what Marcia tells me, it seems you have an abundance of all three.
Here I am – 10 years later (and having had a lumpectomy and radiation 2 years ago) and I’m still going strong: volunteering at the hospital that took such good care of me, and assisting at church, and helping with my neighbor’s kids.
Wow! I didn’t mean to write so much but I wanted to boost your hope that “this too shall pass” and that there will be experiences born of this that will carry you through this time and bless you for the rest of your life – those 3 F’s of which I spoke.
God bless you and give you strength.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
️Eileen