Personal Journey Entry # 36

It is Friday afternoon, and I am totally drained from the driving and treatments of this first week of treatments. I have very few side effects from either regimen. After the last couple of training/planning sessions last week, we were prepared for the worst. So far, so good. These caregivers continue to be the best. They are the most efficient, caring, compassionate, and attentive people we have encountered. Whether in the infusion center at New England Cancer Specialists or at the radiation center at Maine Health, they make the experience less intimidating. And I did mention the process is intimidating, didn’t I?

The radiation treatment is so fast, you wonder how it can be effective. You get positioned on the table, three quick passes of the radiation gun, and have a good day. The chemo infusion is painfully slow. Start with a full blood screen, wait an hour for the results, and then start the three hours of chemo drip along with hydration fluids. This room makes me uncomfortable, but I am so very lucky. The frailty you witness in this room is sad, but the conversation you overhear is always upbeat. Cancer has three elements: physical, emotional, and spiritual. The goal is to keep all three balls airborne.

I am only having two side effects so far. The fatigue is intense, though I cannot sleep. I am down to an average of two hours a night, but I can fall asleep over my keyboard. It’s not a good situation for driving, and I need to get a handle on this before starting up a school bus in the fall. The other effect is cold sensitivity on my fingertips. Just touching something in the refrigerator burns the tips of your fingers, as if you were picking up dry ice. I realize that the effects of these two treatments are cumulative and that we are early in the game, but I am thrilled at where we are on the journey.

The weekend is upon us, and it is extra special, as it means no treatments or driving. We should see the basement project wrap up this week, and most of the major projects at the Pond are done. The rest of this summer is about healing and ringing that bell. We are, hopeully, weeks away from hearing that beautiful sound.

Today would have been my sister Bobbie’s 76th birthday. She courageously fought breast cancer for the last ten years of her life. She is my inspiration on my journey. I have said many times: Cancer will not define me, but my fight against Cancer will.

That’s all for now. Look for the good in everything. God Bless you and wrap his arms around you. Ray