One down...seven to go

Yesterday was a busy one! The alarm clocks were ringing at 4 am. I am a definite morning person, but that's crazy even for me!! We were out the door by 5 and in the surgery center at 5:30. To make treatments easier to deliver each time, I had a temporary port placed next to my right collar bone. The port helps to protect my veins from the toxic chemo drugs doing damage to my veins that would more likely occur if they just gave them to me via IV. Surgery began at 6:30. All went well, and I was awake and out the door by 9 am. I anticipated being very groggy after surgery, but my very perky anesthesiologist obviously did an excellent job of giving me just the right amount of "sleepy drugs"! 

Next up was chemo. For each treatment I will start by having my blood drawn to check my red blood cell count, white blood cell count, etc. There are "normal" ranges for all of these things, but during treatment, my "normals" will be allowed to drop, but it will all be a balancing act of making sure they are not too low. We will have to wait about 30 minutes each time to get the results. Yesterday, my nurse said my levels were great, but that's because all the fun had not begun yet! 

Speaking of my nurse, she was a very sweet one. I will always have one nurse dedicated to me for each treatment, so we get to spend lots of time together. Early in our conversation with her, we learned that she was a runner, which is always a fun find for this run-happy family! She mentioned that she was training for a half marathon over in Cincinnati. Mike starting asking her about her hill training since Cincy has more elevation changes than flat ol' Indy. She shared that she was in Cincy over the weekend visiting her alma mater and training with friends. When we asked where she went to school, she said, "Xavier - I ran on the cross country team there!" In that moment, I froze, and Mike lit up. Let me give you a little back story to explain our responses: I spent my first two year of college at the University of Evansville. While there, I attended many basketball games, and at those games I learned one important thing - I HATE XAVIER. Now this mostly had to do with the fact that they were very good and often our biggest rival at the time, but nonetheless, that hatred has carried with me all my days. For example, when Josh, my 16 year old, gets recruitment mail from Xavier, I typically tear it up and throw it away. Mike always tells the kids that if they get a full ride to a college, he doesn't care who it is, he will become a fan. Not so with me. So, when our very sweet nurse shared this with us, Mike couldn't get to the phone fast enough to text the boys with this fantastic news! Later in the morning, I was honest with my nurse about my feelings, but I also told her that I was very conflicted now because she was so very nice. Who knows...maybe this process will cure me of my cancer AND my hatred of Xavier. Stay tuned...

After lab results, I received 3 "pre-meds" - a steroid and two long-lasting anti-nausea drugs. The steroid helps with the effectiveness of the chemo drugs, and the anti-nausea drugs help to keep me from tossing my cookies over the first 4 days after treatment. Those drugs take another half hour to administer. 

Next comes the "big guns" - the two chemo drugs. The nurse has to gown, glove and mask to protect herself; a second nurse comes in the room to verify everything she's about to do. Serious stuff! They administer these drugs over the next 45 minutes. They had me chew on ice chips to help prevent me from developing sores in my mouth, which is fine by me! That is a side effect I would love to avoid for sure!

And that was it. We headed home, exhausted from the early morning and the excitement of the day. We planned to go home and take naps, but between the cancer center and home, the steroid kicked in. They warned me that the steroid might make me a little jittery and keep me from sleeping. They were correct! Instead of taking a nap, I picked up around the house, did a little laundry, worked Sam like a dog, and felt like I was back in my pregnancy nesting days! Fortunately, that died off a couple hours later, but in it's place came exhaustion and nausea. I'm not sure it was such a great switch. I was able to rest a little bit, but the nausea persisted through the evening. After a couple trips to the bathroom (sorry if that's tmi!), I felt MUCH better. In hindsight, I think my nausea had more to do with the aftereffects of surgery than the chemo, but I suppose we won't know that until the next treatment rolls around. 

Yesterday was a big day, but I'm reminded that it really was like any other day. There are highs and lows in everyone's days. Sure, my highs might be a little higher and my lows may be a little lower right now, but should how I choose to respond be any different? I was reminded this morning of Lamentations 3:22-23:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Last night reminded me that this journey is not going to be easy. There will be dark moments ahead. But despite the changes in how I feel from day to day might change, the love God for me and our family will not change. There will be new mercies for each day that will see us through. Why? Because God is a faithful God - His promises to me are true and trustworthy. This doesn't mean some of these days won't be difficult, but it does mean He will be there to walk with us each and every day. 

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes - they are "mercies" to us each day!  Many of you have asked about meals and practical ways to help. A friend has set up a meal system on takethemameal.com. If you scroll down to the middle of the homepage, there's a box marked "Find". 

The "Recipient" name: Estes

"Password:  romans828

You can sign up to bring a meal, or there is a list of nearby restaurants if giving a gift card is easier for you. Either way, we certainly appreciate not having to worry about cooking in the midst of these crazy days!!

Have a blessed day, friends!

Stephanie and the gang