Big Week Ahead

This week will be the second part of my first cycle of chemo. It will be everyday from Monday through Friday for 4 hours. I'm a little nervous because this will be my first time getting these drugs, but I think I'll be alright. If this treatment is anything like my last treatment, then I expect to feel crappy for the next week or so, but I'll get better  each day for the following week. Right now I feel great. The sores in my mouth are mostly healed, and I haven't needed nausea medication in days. I went to the mall yesterday, and felt pretty good. I still have my hair! I expected to lose it by now. I'm also pumped about how my arm feels. This is the best its felt in like 2 months, and I've only had one treatment! The area around Jimmy feels softer. I can shoot a basketball now with only minimal pain which is a plus because basketball is my favorite way to exercise.

The only bad things about the past week are as follows... I made the switch from the pill potassium to the liquid potassium because it was so difficult to take, and I think those pills were the root of the mouth sores I had. Unfortunately, the liquid tastes so bad, but I haven't skipped any doses at least. Even diluted with a cup of fruit juice, it still tastes terrible. And I will have to take that twice a day for the duration of the treatment plus 3 months after treatment. Ugh! I'm getting used to it now though.
Also, I got a call from the orthopedic surgeon, and she said that upon further analysis of the images, the tumor is deeper in the bone than she initially thought. They ruled out the surgery that I  would have really liked to have gotten. Now they will need to remove the humerus, and replace it with a rod. I shouldn't be really upset though because this will give the cancer less of a chance of coming back. I think this will lengthen recovery, but I'm not sure. These questions can't really be answered yet because its still a long while off before surgery.

The only concern I have with this week is my energy. Right now I'm full of it, but I know that each day is going to take its toll on me. The plan right now is to go back and forth each day, but that might not be possible by the end of the week. Each treatment is 4 hours, and it takes 1 hour 45 minutes to get there. My treatment begins at 10am so I don't plan on being home until around 5. This is pretty long. I'll just take it one day at a time. I pray that I'll have the strength and energy to get through this week.


Thank you to everyone for the support! It is really helping me get through this roadblock in my life. The prayers are very much appreciated.