Update: Post-Vidaza treatment round one

The last day of Vidaza chemotherapy done on Tuesday, May 13, 2014, was uneventful. Todd did not get the Aloxi that day and was of course plagued by nausea, and digestion problems.  He barely ate or got out of bed the entire day.  He did take  his prescription medication for nausea, which did help, but it can also cause the dizziness and sleepiness he was experiencing in addition to the nausea. 

I, on the other hand, was busy as a bee.  I decided to help with the yard work and flower-planting that Todd had started before treatment.  For those of you who don't know, we are having a big graduation party for our daughter at our house on June 1.  We've rented a tent to have put up in the back yard for the party.  Having people over is often a big motivator for doing projects around the house that need done!  We are no exception to this! 

So, I planted flowers around the yard most of the morning and afternoon.  I finished out the afternoon and evening by doing some party shopping, grocery shopping, making dinner, doing laundry, doing dishes, and for some unknown reason, cleaning out the refrigerator and then taking out the trash. 

It doesn't take long to realize how much one person has to do when the other is out of commission.  So, I have learned to empathsize with other caregivers.  Not only are you trying to make them eat and stay hydrated, but you have to pick-up their share of chores.  I know I can speak for my fellow caregivers when I say, that none of this is done begruggingly, but instead out of a heart full of love. However, it can be exhausting none-the-less.  I hurt so bad going to bed that night that I couldn't move!  I was sunburned, my hips hurt, my shoulders hurt; you name it!  (I'm getting older you know!) 

While most of these things are already part of my normal job duties as a mom, I don't describe them here for sympathy or as a cry for help.  I just want to acknowledge that I have come to appreciate and empathize with those who do care-giving for their loved ones day-in and day-out for months and years at a time. 

I appreciate those who offer their help and encouragement.  I know the time will come when we will need to "call-in" those offers for help, but I have to admit it is hard to accept help even though the offers are there.  I guess it is because you realize everyone else you know is already just as "maxed-out" as you in the course of their own every-day lives.  Kids need driven to practice and homework needs done. Laundry, dishes, and meals are never ending.  Tournaments, birthdays, and graduations are all exciting parts of everyday life you want to experience!  Cancer is just such an unwelcome intruder. 

You realize that the good health of yourself and your family is more important than anything.  Without that, it makes it hard to enjoy any of these wonderful daily experiences of life.   On the flip-side, it helps you appreciate everything you have the opportunity to experience, and you decide not to let cancer stop you from doing them.  You learn to fight the cancer and not let it take these things away from you!

We may have the biggest and hardest part of our journey still to come.  Todd messaged his transplant doctor today asking what to expect next.  She was out of town, but sent a quick response saying that they will likely do the bone marrow biopsy in the first week of June to see how his MDS has responded to the first round of Vidaza.  She then mentioned doing a second round of Vidaza after that. (There has to be 21 days between each round of Vidaza). So, I'm not sure when and if the transplant will be scheduled at this point.  She said she will contact us next week when she gets back in town to discuss it. 

I will be sure to keep you all updated once we know. Thanks for your prayer and support.  Rest assured I will get to the point when I will ask for and accept your generous offers of help!  Just keep reminding me that they are there. 

Thanks: Anna a Beavercreek Girl Scout

While going out to the cancer treatment center where Todd received treatment, they provided coffee and tea, but a Beavercreek, Ohio Girl Scout named Anna provided the encouragement and subsistence for the patients.

Todd, like most chemotherapy patients have trouble with eating, digestion, and/or they suffer from a metallic taste in the their mouths.  While they encourage patients to eat before coming to treatment, some days Todd just didn't feel like it after getting out of bed.  So, when I was getting us tea and coffee from the hospitality station, I noticed the little colored lunch sacks with the top folded down and secured with a yellow happy face sticker that the nurses had told us about.  A young girl scout, whose father had been through cancer three times, was earning a badge by doing volunteer work.  In this case, she made up little treat bags for the patients.  Inside there was candy and a granola or breakfast bar with a personal message and her girl scout card.

Twice, Todd got a little bit of an appetite and was able to get a little snack when doing his treatment thanks to Anna.  Many of the patients took advantage of these little treat bags while they were there too.

Our thanks go out to Anna in Beavercreek, Ohio for her compassion and encouragement.  I''m not sure that we will ever get to meet her or thank her personally, but she touched our lives just the same with her kindness.  It is obvious that she had learned from her own experiences (her dad having to go through treatment several times), that she could make a difference in other people's lives by this small yet significant work.  Isn't this what God wants us to learn through the trials in our lives?  How we can in turn help others?  Anna did.  And thanks to her parents who taught her these lessons and supported her in her project and to the Girl Scouts for being the vehicle in which young girls can serve.