Back in the Saddle

You have to push for things in the world of medicine. Very seldom is anything simply ‘granted you.’ Instead, it isn’t until you’ve made a fuss for five minutes that a change in course of protocol will be taken into consideration. That said, I’ve become a more aggressive advocate for my health and well-being (and a little more demanding in general). Part of what has been so difficult to cope with over this last month has been the knowledge that in terms of how long I have to receive chemo, I’ll now have to come in for treatments a month later. So I’ve been in limbo, not moving forward with treating this disease, just resting, not eating or drinking (although I did get the tube yanked out of me on Wednesday, an experience I shan’t soon forget). I’ve been waiting to start back up, waiting for this pancreas of mine to stop acting up. So I pushed to continue with chemo.

I got the news I wanted to hear. On Tuesday, the doctors declared me in good enough health to begin my next round of chemotherapy. I must be the only person in the world who’d get a big smile when being told they were starting chemotherapy again. This round packs a punch. Once ever two weeks I am hospitalized where I receive several chemo drugs, but one big one in particular: high dose methotrexate (my siblings have decided it sounds like a menacing villain for Batman to fight.) Two giant bags, covered in black plastic, were hoisted above me and the yellow liquid that slowly seeps out of each has been pumped into my body for the past two days. I feel fortunate (knock on wood) that thus far, with the exception of some diarrhea, I haven’t felt too bad with it. I can sense I’m weaker than I was before, but that feels like a natural reaction to the drugs. I’ll be out of the hospital in another few days. Then I rest for another ten days and do it all over again. Four times this round. I know, I get tired just thinking about it. But I’m back on track, and that feels really good.

In other news, I had an interesting run-in with a baking pan over the holidays, but you’ll have to email me to get the full story on that!