2 Down, 2 to Go

Chemo #2 is over! Praise the Lord! Mary D. went with me to my chemo appointment yesterday. What a blessing it was to have her there. We left at 8:30am and returned home at 4:30pm. What a day.

First I get blood drawn to see if I'm good to go. Then I see the oncologist's PA for a check up and discuss how things went over the past 2 weeks. Her name is Kathleen. She plays hockey and has kind of a husky voice, but she is kind and compassionate and believes in telling it like it is, which I appreciate.

I think I said before, one of the scariest parts to me is the first chemo drug. They do it in a slow push through the IV because it's so toxic and hard on the veins. If the needle isn't in the vein well and the drug leaks out, it will burn my skin from underneath. The first nurse had some difficulty getting the vein and had to start over which made me all the more nervous. Mary was fervantly praying through the whole thing and God answered. The second nurse came in wearing a special gown and gloves to protect herself from exposure to the drug. As she came in I said, "It's so comforting see you come in here in your space suit so you can inject me with that toxic liquid." She laughed and assured me that she would take great care to make sure everything would go smoothly. Mary and I both prayed through that 15 minute ordeal. I used the deep and spiritual prayer that Jerry Jacoby has so eloquently spoken about. I think I remembered it just the way he teaches it...it goes something like, "Help". I'm sure Mary had me covered because she is a powerful prayer warrior, but God hears all prayers and He answered us both. The next drug is an hour long slow drip and less scarey to me, so Mary and I could just talk and laugh.

Last night was a bit rough with nausea until about 2:00am, but it did subside and today is better. The fog has yet to set in, but I expect to greet it's arrival in the next day or so. That too shall pass within a week.

My hair is falling out in great measure. When I combed it today it filled the comb. I had a good cry and then took a deep breath and decided to move on. Tomorrow my good friend Lena has graciously agreed to shave my head. Should be a memorable moment and one I am really looking forward too. (You all know I'm being sarcastic, right?) We'll take pictures and maybe I'll even put some on the blog, if I can figure out how to do it. I'll probably have to call my good buddy and neighbor, Jason...he knows everything about computers.

I cannot miss the opportunity to express the amazing peace of God. The verse that came to mind at 5:00am on chemo day was, "You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord [italics mine] is the rock eternal." Isaiah 26:3-4 I like how Isaiah says with emphasis, "for the Lord, the Lord is the rock eternal." I can just hear him say "the Lord" loudly that last time to make sure he's getting his point across. Maybe he even pounds the table as he writes or raises his fist in the air. He really wants to make sure we understand who our eternal rock is. I like that and I believe it.

With Joy and Victory,

Janice