Chemo #3...and Surgery

Not my surgery - but my husband's. Yep, another surgery for the Williams family... and another deductible... and another out-of-pocket amount... Daryl had a lipoma removed from his upper arm. For someone who really hates needles and blood and was stressed about the IV, he took it like a man and did great! Praying pathology is negative!

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
~ Philippians 4:19

My third round of chemo went well. I was worried that my blood counts might be too low for chemo because of how they dropped after the first treatment. Thankfully they were basically the same as last time, so we were good to go with chemo #3. If all goes well with the next three treatments, I'll be done! But I know there's a chance my oncologist will want to do two extra rounds. I'm okay with that. Whatever we need to do to get rid of ALL the cancer cells. I'll have a CT scan before the next treatment and then a PET scan after the 6th treatment.

I was finally brave and asked for my official diagnosis as to what type of lymphoma I have besides the general non-Hodgkin. I didn't really want to know before - just wanted to get started with treatment. There are about 60 subtypes of NHL that fall under two categories (rarely a third): B-cell or T-cell. I have two types under B-cell: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. And these two types fall under two different forms of NHL - yay for me!

Aggressive NHL, also called fast-growing or high-grade, makes up about 60% of NHL cases in the United States. I have the most common aggressive subtype - diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Indolent NHL, also called slow-growing or low-grade, makes up about 40% of NHL cases in the United States. Again, I have the most common indolent subtype - follicular lymphoma.

Hmmmm... 60% + 40% = 100%. I guess I have the total package! I wonder what the statistics are on having both... So there's the nitty gritty of my diagnosis. Not that it really matters since ALL of it will be GONE soon!!! 

My chemo day went as usual - waiting... blood work... waiting... vitals... waiting... doctor... waiting... and finally chemo! Oh, and I got my big comfy chair - without kicking anyone out!!! I've had different chemo nurses each time, so I always learn new things. I learned that one of the anti-nausea drugs is probably what keeps me awake the night of chemo. It's actually a corticosteroid (Decadron) working in cahoots with the Prednisone!

The day was uneventful - premeds (Tylenol, anti-nausea, and Benadryl) and then chemo. I pretty much snooze off and on all morning during the chemo. We've seen one couple each time we've been there, and Daryl and the husband talk guns and politics a little bit. This time there was a lady one chair over from me who cried during the first half of her chemo until she fell asleep. I felt so bad for her and prayed that she would be filled with God's peace and mercy and know it was from Him. I'm glad she had a daughter/friend with her! And I'm so thankful for all the prayers, support, and encouragement from my family and friends!!! 

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
~ James 5:16
 
I was so tired after this treatment - more so than after the last two. I couldn't keep my eyes open on the way home, went straight to the couch, stayed on the couch with my eyes closed even when a friend stopped by to see Daryl's new gun (He must be a good friend for me to stay on the couch like that!), and after supper put on my jammies and went back to the couch. Thankfully, I slept fairly well that night and felt rested for Daryl's turn in the hospital. Are we having fun yet?

Maybe "fun" isn't the right word - but we've been so blessed by family and friends helping us with getting the kids to and from their activities, mowing our yard, gifts and cards, encouragement, and lots of prayer. So in that sense, seeing God's people doing God's work is definitely FUN!

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
~ Hebrews 13:16