After we got back from the Lake House, it was time to start preparing for the next step, meeting with the Oncologist. It has surprised me from the beginning of this journey, that common practice is not to meet with the Oncologist (cancer treatment doctor) until after the mastectomy. I still don’t understand the reasoning behind that. Anyway, I was so fortunate that the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Treatment Hospital started opening branches of Treatment Centers outside of the downtown Medical Center, in suburban areas of Houston. The first one to open was in Nassau Bay, about 7 miles from my house!
The day in July that I went for my first appointment was their first week of operation. God’s fingerprints were all over the timing as far as I was concerned! I met with Dr. Amy Hassan, who is a very caring, beautiful young oncologist. She was professional, but very kind and answered all of my questions. She recommended that I receive chemotherapy followed by radiation. She explained that the chances for survival are greatly increased by following this round of treatments. I would have 4 treatments of the first “chemo cocktail” called FAC, with one treatment every three weeks. That would be followed by 4 treatments of another chemo drug called Taxol. I would start treatment the first week of August and should complete my treatment the first week of January. I first had to have a few tests, which were painless, but very terrifying to me. They were a bone scan to make sure that the cancer had not gone to my bones, a heart catscan to make sure that my heart was strong enough to withstand chemo. That was unsettling. How strong did it have to be? The third test was a catscan of the abdominal area to make sure that there was no cancer in the liver, kidneys, or other abdominal areas.
These tests were stretched out over a week, and after about 10 days I went back to Dr Hassan to get the results. God gave me peace, but it was sure good to hear her tell me that all of the tests came back good! She said that I could start chemo the next week. I decided to have my treatments on Fridays, so that I would have the weekend to recover and hopefully be back ready to work on Mondays. So on Friday, August the 3rd, I started the next chapter of The Journey.
My Mom and Dad both drove to town for the first treatment. My Mom told me that she would come to all of the treatments, and that they would both be there to help Wayne care for me if I was sick, and also to help with my kids. That was such a relief and a blessing! I was praying that God would bring me through without being sick, but I had heard such stories about people having such bad nausea and fatigue. I felt in my heart that God would keep me strong. I couldn’t imagine having to be bed ridden for several days, that simply would not do!
I had gone back to my surgeon the week before chemo started to have a “port” installed in my chest, just below my collarbone. It is a little device with a long tube that goes into the central vein about the heart. It is inserted under the skin, so it doesn’t show, but it allows the chemo to be directly injected into the port rather than having to use the veins in the arm or elsewhere. It goes straight into the blood stream, in the large strong central vein. The port process was a simple out-patient procedure. My Dad took me and stayed with me for the procedure, and took me home. I was so blessed to have both of my parents to help me through this. With Wayne and I both being self-employed it was crucial to our family’s financial well-being that Wayne be able to work as normal a schedule as possible and cover for me.
The day that I started chemo Wayne and Dad dropped Mom and me off at the St Johns Hospital MD Anderson Treatment center, five minutes away from my house! We were given a nice room with a bed, a couple of chairs and a TV. I had taken several of my files with me and of course my cell phone so that I could do business while having the 3 hour chemo session. The nurses that administered the chemo were very kind, and explained everything that was going to happen, and answered all of our many questions. The actual infusion was painless. I just rested on the bed, watched TV with Mom, and took calls from my clients for the next few hours. I knew that so many people all over the country were praying for me that day, and I felt their prayers. When we got home that evening I felt fine, but just took it easy, just waiting to see what would happen. My parents had recently me two people that would become very important to Wayne and me over the next months, and will continue to be very important for years to come. Those two people were Bishop Greg Holley and Pastor Gayla Holley. Mom invited Bishop and Pastor Gayla to come to our house about 6:00 pm after I got back from chemo to pray for me. It was love at first sight! I connected with Gayla, and Wayne connected with Bishop immediately. It was like we had been friends all of our lives! They are the Pastors of New Life Christian Fellowship on Underwood in La Porte. They prayed for me, and we all sat around visiting for several hours. I realized that everyone must be getting hungry, and suggested that they all go to dinner. I would wait there, and would be fine. I was not feeling sick yet, and felt like a pot being watched to see when it would start boiling! Bishop suggested that we all go, because I just might not get sick, and we could take two cars so that I could return if that made me more comfortable. We all went to Villa Capri, a very nice Italian seafood restaurant on the evening of my first chemo treatment. Praise God, we had the most wonderful evening! I had salmon and broccoli, a very healthy dinner. I ate it, enjoyed it, and NEVER got sick! We didn’t get home until after 9:00! I went to bed, slept all night, and got up the next morning to attend my 10 year old son Caleb’s first football scrimmage game, on a VERY hot August morning. I went to church on Sunday, and back to the office on Monday. God is so good, he kept me feeling good, and allowed me to continue to do my normal activities! There is much more to the story. I haven’t even got to tell about radiation and reconstructive surgery yet! I will get to that, but for today I just want to leave you with the knowledge that if you are facing the challenges of Chemo, please know that you are not alone. God is with you. Trust Him. He will make a way for you and bring you through. He has brought me through, and I continue to praise Him.
Comments