Saturday Good, Sunday Not So Good, Monday Better

Here's more news from Steve.

Tanya’s previous chemotherapy stint a couple of years ago was, not surprisingly, no fun at all. Without going into detail, I’ll say it was miserable for her and tough to helplessly watch for those who love her. How she could endure that kind of misery without complaining is a mystery. We were hoping that this round of chemo would not be so difficult, planned on it being no big deal, and prepared for the worst—a replay of the previous term.

The chemo treatment lasted approximately 3-1/2 hours. It wasn’t a full house in the treatment room, so I was allowed to sit with Tanya throughout. We talked with a man who was being treated for cancer that had migrated from his colon to his liver. He was a hopeful father of 12 children and has 7 grandchildren, too. The collective mood in the chemo rooms were surprisingly light and happy. Tanya’s treatment was completed, and we went for a bite to eat.

Her radiation treatments, administered in the weeks previous, still affect her and cause sleepiness, so we went home to watch the entertainment box, relax, and hope for less severe side-effects than last time. We hoped that the chemo’s effects would not include the intense nausea that it had last time, and we were lucky—no nausea at all. In fact, Saturday, Tanya woke up feeling fine, and ironically, because of the effects of the chemo, had rosy cheeks and looked great.

We went out for crepes, and planned to meet Tanya’s mom, Linda, and her sister, Christina, later. They had a nice surprise in store for Tanya—a visit from Carly, our niece! After a long hike around the Arrowhead Mall, Tanya’s sleepiness returned, and off to home we went.

Sunday, Tanya woke up in pain. Apparently, the targeted radiation treatment and the chemotherapy were reacting with each other. In this case, the effect was startling and severe. Tanya felt as though someone had smashed her in the chest as hard as they could. She had difficulty inhaling because it caused great pain. She was forced to breathe very shallowly, and the pain medications were of limited help. After speaking with the doc’s office, it was decided to double the amount of pain medication and increase the interval. That seemed to help, and slowly, the pain was managed.

Monday was a day of recuperation, and Tanya gained ground and appears to be recovering quickly. All-in-all, this round of chemo was not as bad as the last. Tanya described it as “different“ but was very happy to avoid the nausea.

Next Friday, more chemo. Hopefully, we’ll have crepes on Saturday, skip the pain on Sunday and Monday, and while Tanya can’t skip the rest of these treatments, we hope she will be skipping her way through them. Thanks again to everyone for all your concern.

Thanks everyone, for keeping Tanya in your thoughts. Thanks also for sending notes, comments, good vibes, positive thoughts, and prayers—they really make her happy.