2/04/09 2nd Chemo Today

Hi FOM’s….

Well, Myra made it through her first 2 week chemo cycle. The first few days after were deceivingly ‘easy’. Of course, easy is an extremely relative term. Myra was tired but able to eat three square meals a day and was feeling pretty good. Then Day 6 came. And Myra got hit by the chemo bus. It knocked her out. Literally. She was too tired to eat or drink and not being hydrated properly she did her best Humpty Dumpty imitation. I will save the precise details about where she was and what she was doing when it happened for later but suffice it to say, this is something we will laugh about later. We think it scared her silly and a case of Diet Snapple and a few straws later, Myra was back to a rigorous hydration regimen.

Day 7-8 brought the bone pain we had heard about but couldn’t begin to understand. The pain was unbearable and she called Dr H to be reassured that this was from the Neulasta shot, which I affectionately refer to as neu-NAST-a. The Neulasta stimulates and essentially encourages the bones to overproduce white and red bloods to ensure Myra is strong enough for the treatments. The net effect is you feel extreme pain in your bones, mostly in your hips and spine (areas of lots of bone marrow).

Myra’s words during those tough days….”My body aches and I can't figure out how to describe it. Feel in back, hips and makes me close my eyes and pray for it to pass.”

I checked out a lot of the cancer patient blogs for insight into how it would feel and tips for coping. I thought some of their words described it best.

“The doctor told us it'd feel like you'd been kicked by a mule.”

“It’s hard to appreciate how many bones you have in your body until they all start hurting at once. It’s over now, but yesterday my bones screamed out like a wicked choir in a clench-your-teeth-and-wait-for-it-to-pass kind of pain. I’ve heard it said that if ever you wanted to forget your troubles, you should just wear shoes that are too small. I can say that by yesterday evening my mind was completely clear, save for the total focus on my over-producing skeleton.

Myra discovered for herself that heating pads, a hot bath and Tylenol regularly are the best you can do until it passes. We also hear that the pain lessens as time goes on; although other patients don’t know if it is because they got used to it or that over time your body doesn’t need to produce so much.

Today, Myra had a port installed.

Here is a picture of Myra just before her port went in. Lively as usual, befriending all the medical staff and cracking jokes. She has such an indomitable spirit and people fall in love with her and want to take good care of her which makes us feel good.

We had to be at the hospital at 6:45 AM with chemo following directly after. She received a ‘power port’ which is basically the “mac-daddy” port by which she can also have PET scans, MRIs and blood work done. She underwent local anesthesia but said she felt a little out of it anyway. And though she had some discomfort-- don’t worry-- she was able to eat toast and drink juice afterwards and says the pain is manageable.

As I write this, she is now receiving her second of 8 chemo treatments, and is doing well. Remember the effect of this nasty chemo is cumulative so the fatigue will be 2x this time. The good news is Myra knows what to expect. Also, Myra’s hair will begin falling out in clumps likely day 2 following chemo. The hair loss occurs because the follicles are weakened by the chemo. I am told that you just can not be mentally prepared enough for this and it is unsettling when it happens. All in all, our brave Myra continues to a warrior.

Think warm thoughts for Myra and thanks for everyone’s continued support and prayers. I’ll keep you posted.

Robin