Time for an update on my mom. She is now three sessions into her treatment and overall doing very well.
Her first chemo session was on June 20th. We were all nervous and did not know what to expect so my dad, sister, and I all accompanied her. She initially arrived at the clinic and talked with the nurse practitioner who explained the process and answered multiple questions. We then went down to the infusion center where she received two different chemo medications over about four to five hours. She did not have any initial reactions which we were thankful for, and she handled it like a champ. In the infusion center, there is a bell that patients ring when they finish their last treatment. While waiting with mom, I was honored to witness an elderly man ring the bell. His family and him, as well as his nurse, rejoiced. He looked absolutely thrilled and it touched my heart. I truly can’t wait for the day my mom is able to ring that bell.
For a couple of days after chemo, thanks to steroids, mom felt really well. Once those steroids began to wear off, she quickly felt the effects of the medication. For about five days, she experienced a whole new level of exhaustion as well as dizziness, weakness, and body aches. A week after the treatment, she felt like herself and slowly resumed her typical activities. She overall felt well until her next treatment
The week of her second chemo treatment was a little rough. The weekend before, she began to lose her hair. My sister and I were on a trip with friends when she sent us a picture with a large amount of hair on the shower floor captioned with “so it has begun”. Once the hair loss began, it did not slow down. As she ran her fingers through her hair it fell out in clumps. She would wake up to hair on her pillow and hair would just fall down the back of her shirt. This quickly began to drive her crazy, and a couple of days later she had it shaved. The morning of her chemo she fell and busted her lip open. She called me right after it happened to assess the need for sutures. Her lip was completely split, so I advised sutures, but mom was not going to miss or be late for her chemo in order to get stitches. She went on to chemo, and later that afternoon we drove her to my work where one of our great PAs stitched her up. She then again had her four to five days of feeling extremely tired and weak.
As she started to regain her energy we received news that her white blood cells (neutrophils in particular) were severely low. This meant she was neutropenic and basically had little to no immune system. Instead of getting out and enjoying her days of feeling good, she was now isolated to the house and needing to wear a mask almost all of the time. Thankfully, her levels returned to normal and she did not have to postpone her third treatment. They did put her on a new medication, however, to try to prevent her levels from dropping so severely again.
Throughout all of this, she has still maintained an amazingly positive attitude. When she lost her hair, I think the rest of the family was much more emotional and worried about her than she was. When she busted her lip open, she laughed and made fun of herself. As she was quarantined in the house, she made the most of it by reading, working puzzles, and obviously getting caught up on tv and movies. Every time I see her, she has a smile on her face and is still focused on everyone else, as the typical mother would be. She has amazed me and I am incredibly proud of her. She is so strong and I can’t wait to see her kick this cancer. We are half way there!
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7