Thursday, April 16, 2009

Chemo round #2 (halfway!)

This morning I went for my second chemo treatment. I know you were all praying for a vein and one was found, small but nevertheless, it worked! Those nurses in the chemo clinic are absolutely wonderful! They know how to do it and I commend them for a job well done. We did have a little drama. About 5 minutes after the first chemo drug was injected I had an allergic reaction to the drug. It was a little scary and caused everyone in the chemo clinic to move quickly. I got very flushed, had trouble breathing, and my heartbeat and blood pressure jumped. So they stopped the drug, gave me a dose of Benadryl through the IV, and then I had to sit for awhile until everything calmed down and went to normal again. The Benadryl made me drowsy so I slept much of the time away. When they resumed the chemo drug they made it drip extremely slowly and they continued going slowly with the next drug as well. They watched very closely. A nurse was sitting beside me most of the time making sure nothing happened again. As a result of this I will need 2 antihistamines before my next treatment to combat the allergic reaction. My, my - the drugs I am going through! Because of all this, the whole procedure took over 4 hours. Now I am fighting nausea with more drugs, but I am keeping it under control. I am pretty tired but I am thankful that all turned out well. The nurse said she was a little dubious about how things were going to go after that reaction but at least I can keep going with the drugs. They decreased the one drug by 25% today so hopefully I will steer clear of infections this round and not have so much pain.
Thank you for your continued prayers. I feel God's presence very strongly, especially when these little speedbumps keep coming up and I feel totally out of control of what's going on. I wonder, what's next? Just some smooth, relaxing days, I hope.
Thank you, Ardie and Nathaniel, for your presence today, too. Wow, you are amazing!

In His care,
Sandra

4 comments:

  1. I hope everything goes O.K.I will keep praying

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  2. wow....I'am worn out just reading this...you really amaze me Sandra!!! God is working in you and you are touching a lot of people through this blog....you hang in there...i am praying all will be easier this time around for you...much love and God Bless..yes...praise the Lord..you are halfway through!!!!

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  3. My goodness...you just keep making things more and more interesting and challenging, don't you:). Wow, like Koralee said...it's exhausting just reading about your day. I can't imagine what it was like to experience it. But...like a trouper...you do it with such grace! Thank God for qualified, caring health care providers!! So glad that you were well looked after.

    I hope that you are resting well this evening and that you are reveling in the fact that you made it through another treatment. Now...let's see what the next few weeks are like...hopefully, the changes made to the drug regimen will have the desired effects.

    Thinking of you often and praying you rest and heal well:)

    Love,
    Jeanette

    PS...the cold is getting better, so hopefully I can visit again soon...I miss you already and it's only been a week since I saw you!!

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  4. Hi Sandra,
    I hope this one goes more smoothly than the last one. We're praying for you and are constantly blessed by your courage, faith and testimony. I hope you rest well tonight.
    Love,
    Simone

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