first chemo down

Hello! It has been awhile. Popping in for a little update.

 First chemo went so well. Thank you so much for those of you that were praying about it. We went in last Wednesday to get a port placed and get admitted. We waited all day in pre-op, but got in at the last second. Port placement went well, no collapsed lungs this time. First chemo consisted of 4 days inpatient, the first 3 getting chemo, the last day getting hydration and a shot to keep my counts from dropping too low. I had all kinds of sweet visitors bearing non-hospital food, coffee for Scott, press n seal so that I could shower without getting my port dressing too wet, bags full of target gifts, my favorite salad from Lexington. I’ll put photos in this post since there has been a definite lack of those in these updates. Also, our friend Sean took some photos of us with my camera the day before we went in for chemo. I’ll put some of those on here too, we love them so much. They’ll be so good to have when I don’t feel like I look like myself at all.

 Seriously to all of you who visited while at work, who drove from Lexington and Batesville, who visited while your kiddo was in the hospital, we appreciate you all so much. Time went so quickly because of you.

 Scott found out that family members can use a gym and get massages while in the hospital, and that made his stay more bearable. I walked around with my IV pole visiting my friends at work and giving tours to my visiting friends.

 No nausea or vomiting. Praise the Lord. Thanks to a lot of medication and a lot of you all praying that was not an issue. I keep saying how the first couple times I went through this I never got sick, never needed blood products, etc. I think when you’re not a teenager anymore your body doesn’t always respond the same, so I am very thankful for round 1 to be finished without getting sick.

 I will tell you that recovery was definitely the same at home. The thing (other than losing hair) that I hated the most was post chemo. For those of you that have been there, you know that you kind of check out for a few days. It’s hard to explain but I will try my best. For 2-3 days after we got home, sitting up on the couch from a laying position felt like I may as well have run a marathon. Maybe worse. I’ve never ran a marathon. Even in responding to Scott, I could not muster enough energy to respond with any kind of enthusiasm or inflection. I felt like I just checked out from life for a few days. I remember thinking “I will never complain about being tired again when I get better”. Today I’m typing this and my counts are looking good and I still am not back to my normal, but I am showered and wearing real clothes and that is enough reason to be thankful.

 One thing not expected was I had a lot of skin pain. It was very tender to touch and almost felt bruised around my neck, sides, and upper back. I’d take it any day over nausea and vomiting, but it was not fun.

 I have been reading a book given to me by some of my co-workers called “Every Bitter Thing is Sweet” by Sara Hagerty. It is so good. The author wrote about the hard things in her life and how she knew God deeply out of those things. So much good truth. I want to just quote the entire book. But I’ll settle with just one for now. “Fear loses oxygen when every moment suspends itself under the purpose of bringing Him glory, of knowing His name and His nature. Sometimes, instead of leading us up and out of those very fears, big and small, he lets us live them. He gives us over to them. Because it’s in this giving over to our fears that we find the perfect love that frees us from them. Forever”. I think the difference between this time with cancer and the second time with cancer is that it isn’t so much about the cancer this time. This time it’s about what God is doing. Where He is leading Scott and I. Where we will end up after this with our faith. How He is going to use this. Yes, the path is not fun. It is not what I would have chosen, not what Scott would have chosen. But if we know God better at the end of this, isn’t it worth it? I read a blog post recently that I found on facebook about how as Christians we are still striving so much for comfort. We strive for comfort when we follow a God that says “take up your cross and follow me”. A good God that loves us and has the best in mind for us. Who cares if we have it “hard” in this life when we have eternity stretched out before us? This life is the only chance that we have to have faith, to make an impact. I know me, and I am not one to grow when things are comfortable and easy. So, yes, I’ll take this hard road ahead if it means spiritual growth, if it means Jesus gets lifted high, and the people around me can see Him more clearly. I’ll have all the comfort I need in eternity one day. He is good.

 One last thing, sorry I never mean for these to be long. I was listening to a mix I made on itunes the day before we went in for chemo. I had thrown a random song on there that I hadn’t heard in years. I had no memory about what the words were when I added it to the playlist. It was so incredibly perfect. It’s by JJ Heller if you’re interested.

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That you would take my pain away
You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crooked lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth
You healed the broken, lost and hurt
I know you hate to see me cry
One day you will set all things right
Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

                    

          

      

(sorry for the screenshots of photos, I had them cropped on my phone when I uploaded, but for whatever reason it keeps pulling in the non cropped and I don’t really want to deal with it to fix it right now)

by Jenna

show hide 1 comment

DebraMay 21, 2015 - 8:21 pm

I’m so thankful for the port placement and round one going so well. So proud of your courage and faith walk. God has a purpose and plan. However, I’m sorry this is your journey again. I get it. However, each of my times I grew stronger and closer to the Lord. All worth it. Many around me also changed. What a privilege to be used by the Lord. Hugs sweet friend.

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

*

*

There was an error submitting your comment. Please try again.

f a c e b o o k