Journal 5: Feb 12

Journal 5: Feb 12

Main Page • John's Journal • CLL Information • Contact John • Seattle Cancer Care Alliance • MD Anderson

It's Saturday morning and I had a great sleep. I needed it. Michelle and I
started to watch a movie together around 8 pm but I just crashed. Finished
the last radiation treatment last night. As I walked off the treatment stand
I punched my fists upwards and said 'Yeah!' really loud. I was really happy
how radiation went and the technicians who worked with me were fabulous and
very supportive. Everytime I had a treatment I had someone new with me to
introduce. They said it is so great I have so much support. I guess some
patients will come in for weeks and have no family or friends with them. I
can't imagine. It's hard and you need people to help you through. I got
pretty excited after my last treatment as I felt my neck and other areas for
swollen lymph nodes. Almost all my swollen nodes have dissolved away from
the radiation. Praise the Lord! The treatment is working and the cancer
cells are losing. The radiation will have residual effects on me and by the
end of next week I will probably develop some nasty mouth sores and a sore
throat. They will treat it with pain medication and as my blood counts begin
to come back up the sores will go away. As a preventative measure I rinse
many times a day with saline solution. It is supposed to kill bacteria in my
mouth, reducing the severity of the radiation induced mouth sores. I am
getting my first chemotherapy- VP16 today. It is going to be tough. It is
mixed with alcohol so I will probably get an intoxicated feeling along with
everything else. The doctor said I shouldn't get sick and I may just want to
sleep through as much as possible. The chemotherapy I am getting is in doses
100 times stronger than I got before. The objective is to hit the cancer
cells so hard they have no opportunity to be resistant. Fine with me. As
doctor Petersdorf says, 'Time to blow this cancer away.' As I type this my
wife Michelle is asleep in the fold out bed next to me. She is so wonderful.
Michelle comforts me and helps me so much. Just having her close makes me
feel so much better. I really love this girl and am so thankful the Lord
gave her to me as my wife. How fortunate I am. We'll have been married
thirteen years in June.

Next
Back