5/1/2012
Today just might
be, and I certainly make it my prayer, my last day of chemotherapy – ever. After this I’ll spend some time still hooked
up to IVs but today is the last day of 6 straight days of chemo – High Dose
blast-lymphoma-to-kingdom-come (where, by the way, it won’t exist!) chemo. If the plan works, if complete healing
happens this will be it, barring future bouts with some other cancer.
It’s a lovely
spring morning. The air has been freshened
(outside at least as we’ll see) by last night’s storms. It’s May 1 – a holiday in Germany – stores
closed, most people off work, the traditional types in our area go hiking today. I’m temporarily untethered from the IV pole
so I hope to get a short walk in on the outside.
Today’s chemo
involves a chemical that can wreck your mouth.
The solution is to chomp on ice cubes during the infusion and for a half
hour afterwards. I watched my roommate
go through this few days ago. I’m
getting much advance warning from his treatment – he’s going through a stem
cell transplant as well.
I’ve read the
pamphlets, talked to the docs and nurses and viewed the German DVD about stem
cell transplantation. They’ve been
thorough in their descriptions with one glaring exception that we picked up on
reading blogs of people who have gone through this. That exception is the smell. After today’s chemo, I’ll have a day of
“therapy pause”. Thursday I get my own
stem cells back. Thursday I begin to
stink!
Thursday I’ll
smell like, of all things, a giant vat of creamed corn. I know this because of the blogs but I know
it better because my roommate got his stem cells back yesterday and it reeks of
creamed corn in here. I hope his aroma
passes fairly soon because if both of us are hard at it, it will smell like
cleanup day in a bad Midwestern institutional kitchen at the end of Celebrate
Local Grain Week. My body, at least
resembles a side dish that one might have with vats of creamed corn. IV fluids
plus cortisone have caused me to bounce up around 6kg (13.2lbs) in water
weight. I look and feel like a jello
mold (albeit a tough, dry-skinned jello mold).
But, and this for
me is one big but, I have not experienced any nausea. Wow – seems like much you ever read about in
side effects involves nausea and I admit a bit of trepidation regarding it
coming into High Dose but so far so good!
If they served creamed corn my record would probably break. (Never been
a big fan, I only like corn chowder with lots of bacon in it but I’m real good
with sweet corn). Maybe it would be nice to have a few Mid-western ribs to go
with the jello and corn!
Just got back
from my morning freedom walk. Made it
from the Uniklinik to the Freiburg Rathaus (Rat = advice + Hause = city/town
hall) and back in forty-five minutes – not bad!
I’ve taken one anti-nausea pill and the nurse is preparing my bowl of
ice so may it begin and, even better, end, really end soon!
Carl and Diane
should be by soon for a holiday visit.
Thanks for your prayers.
3 comments:
I wish you could see my mental image of you, ribs, corn and all. It's a sight to behold!
Prayers still, for you all.
I'll carry the corn image to school with me -- it will give me give a giggle as I "teach" 8 year olds in the spring!
Prayers every day all day....
Russ,I am glad to see you still have your humor and wit even while going through this challenge and trying journey.i have held you in my thoughts and prayers many,many days since December. Your blogs are a wonderful combination of superb writing skills, scientific &medical knowledge, humor and dry sarcasm, and most importantly spirituality. Your ability to move adeptly from one realm of thought to another amazes me. Wishing you a successful recovery and better health soon. You have a wonderful attitude &outlook and I know you will come away from this with a brighter future.loving wishes deb mullaney
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