Gearing Up for Round Three

Thursday marks the halfway point in my chemo treatment. In the context of the hero's journey, these treatments are comparable to a series of small crises the hero must face before reaching the inmost cave, where he grabs the elixir and prepares to head for home. He's halfway through his journey, but there are many more challenges, monsters and complications to face before he can be homeward bound.

For me each of these treatments is different. Fortunately, supporting me on this journey is a good team -- my doctor is doing what she can to make sure I sail through these challenges as easily as possible. Today at my pre-chemo appointment she wrote me a prescription for a new drug to see if we can avoid the nausea and vomiting which accompanied the last two rounds. However, this is the last round of this particular cocktail and even I if I have a bad reaction, hopefully it will be the final time I need to go through it. The next three sessions are a different type of drug, with a whole new array of side effects.

The good news is the tumors continue to shrink. She couldn't feel the one in my lymph nodes at all, and the one in my breast is now about a centimeter.

Today's mail contained four cards. There were three cards from work -- one from the crew in Colorado, one from Kelly in Kentucky (this would be Kelly A, as opposed to Kelly B who visits on a regular basis) and greetings from Ilene (my boss' boss). In addition, Diane G. from my home church also sent a card to let me know she's thinking of me. It's wonderful to open the mailbox and see it full of good wishes...much better than the bills and circulars which are the norm.

Rob and I decided to have supper out tonight and stopped at a sushi place on our way home from the hospital. The restaurant also serves up Thai food which I enjoy more than the sushi.

Tomorrow I'll get my new prescription filled, and maybe do some preemptive cleaning so I don't have to look at dust bunnies when I'm not feeling well. I may even start reading the Sue Grafton novel I picked up tonight. Who knows, maybe if I'm engrossed in a good book, the nausea might not even be an issue.