Another Terrific Chemo Day ( #2 of 12 more or less)

Tuesday at 3 pm, all three of us, (to include Cy) crowded into our old faithful 4 wheel drive Ford Ranger pickup just after the storm began in earnest.  We prayed for a successful trip north anticipating an adventure.  Cy’s school was due to close the next day so it presented a great opportunity to introduce Cy to what Daddy was doing every two weeks.  We were driving up the night before to stay over close by.  Four hours through the blizzard including a supper stop and we were thrilled to settle in and watch the blizzard blow.

The day before we had secured a commitment that the BC would be open, two other patients did the same.  They had a skeletal medical crew to serve the three patients that did not want to get knocked off schedule – one walked a mile and half to the el train and the other is from the east coast.

We had the run of the place!  It was terrific time for Cy because there were so few – and not the usual number of those that are and look very sick.

Now here is something that you aren’t going to find in traditional treatment:  I walk down the hall to the kitchen and smell food – what is this?  Jackie, dietitian director (5 dietitians on staff) came in on her own – didn’t need to – but she wanted to cook for the patients and staff cuz she knew no restaurants were open!

Another person joining us for her very first day at work was the new Oncologist, Dr. Thomas.  Without the normal patient load we sat and talked along with Sheila, another patient, around the kitchen table.  Are you starting to get the feeling that the BC is like a big family?  I am asking the Doc (who is Indian) about eastern vs western medicine and integrative care, and particularly why is it that traditional medicine is so resistant to alternative (i.e. diet and nutrition, etc.).  Before she says much Sheila jumps in.  She is a fountain of knowledge and I am saying to myself, “This is one heck of a knowledgeable patient.”  At one point she slips in “I do research.”  Turns out she is a PhD and the Research Director of Judith Nan Joy Integrative Medicine Initiative, Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

The thread of God’s grace runs continually through all of life --  the ups and the downs -- and it shows itself like this: a casual, extended conversation with two brilliant people – that would never have happened without the snow storm (when does an on-duty Doc have an hour + just to chat?)  BTW many of you know I had the painting “forgiveness” tattooed upon my inner left forward running from wrist to elbow bend such as Nate had.  I did this in memory of my son (see www. http://circleurban.org/newsletters/Eulogy-web.pdf if you want the full story from the eulogy I wrote a delivered.)  I have a lot of blood taken and my left arm has got the good accessible veins.  Almost everyone is struck by the tat.  Same around the table.  Shelia (father was Chinese doc) expressed herself like Gandi:  I would like Christianity except for the Christians!  From innuendos and classic Asian indirectness I am guess that the oncologist is a believer.  Opened some great talk.

So, once again the time flew by with numerous great conversations and interactions.  This is such a place of peace!

 When we headed home and hit the main streets and expressways they were open.  We wondered if our alley would be passable.  Not to worry.  Our long held friends Nita and Jon Beran joined by neighbors gathered together to help each other and us, shoveling it to an acceptable condition.  We drove right in!  What a blessing!!  Andre Hinton our faithful house sitter shoveled the front walks – wow.  Nita (a nurse practitioner) was one half of the founder staff team of Circle Christian Health Center and Jon has been a MD with Circle Family Health Care Network (current name) since 1978.  Jon delivered our son Nathan in the height of the blizzard of 1979.  But will all the medical love and care over the years – to include many visits to our home – this house call set all records!!  I’m just glad they didn’t have a heart attack!!  “You are old people!”  I jokingly reminded them.  BTW JB and Nita are also Cy’s surrogate grandparents.  He and us are lovin' it. 

Chemo creates a reaction to cold so I was a bit worried, yet with the way cleared I could zoom right into our attached garage and carry in all our stuff right into our warm house.

What a blessing to have such friends!  And so many more.  Others will be taking me to treatment and relieving Lonni of that all day burden.

What about side effects?

I’m picking up the writing of this Thursday morning.  Going through the morning routine reminds me that I’m on Chemo.  My hands and feet can take NO COLD, even a glass of tap water.  If I forget and reach into the refrig to remove a jar the reaction is like grabbing a plate you did not know was hot.  It is likened to the instant tingling of when your foot falls asleep with heat-type burning and loss of feeling.  The cold floor does the same to my feet – slippers are an easy fix.

I awoke with a scratchy/hoarse throat.  If we talk I will sound weak, I have not experienced a lot of fatigue yet.  Yet it is early.  We will see, especially over the week end.

Time for Feedback

Okay now I’d like you to weigh in and give me feed back.  Do you want me to blog more about the nutrition piece of my treatment?  Like why isn’t taking 70 pills a day just nuts!?  Only weird people do that.  Glen, are you so desperate to live that you have weirded out on us?  Glen and health-food-nut don’t go together.  Ya you was fat but a comfortable fat, you make me look skinny, now you make me look fat, Glen and the way you are eating you will stay that way!  Besides how the heck can you have a Super Bowl Party with tofu and seaweed.  That is un-American! – and weird.  So will you ever return to normalcy?  You are making me feel guilty for eating my potatoe chips, they taste good, I feel like a better American with a bag of chips and a coke.  The big question: What makes you think all this hocus pocus will work?

This would have been my reaction if a friend of mine got cancer and went down this path, so it might be yours.  So I’d like feedback on whether I should explain this more.  On the serious side, will all have friends and family that get cancer.  Should I use my experience to describe how this skeptic is becoming a true believer and why?  Or will that turn your interest away?  BTW I mean to do this occasionally especially howthe dots connect for me.

You can use the comment feature if you want your comments public or you can mail me:  glenk@circleurban.org

Be Blessed, I sure am,

glen