October. Well, I'm really glad it's over!
Four of the Fridays in October Ben visited the UNM cancer center to get an infusion of Rituximab. NOT chemo, but an immunological agent, the nurses called it biotherapy. Whichever it is, it helps his body attack the cancer cells which refuse to die. Rituxan has way fewer side effects than chemo, so it seemed a no-brainer choice. He had a bad reaction the first time and enjoyed the 3 hour nap his IV Benadryl gave him, but we learned on subsequent visits to make sure the drip rate (??) stayed slow and he did fine.
Four of the Fridays in October Ben visited the UNM cancer center to get an infusion of Rituximab. NOT chemo, but an immunological agent, the nurses called it biotherapy. Whichever it is, it helps his body attack the cancer cells which refuse to die. Rituxan has way fewer side effects than chemo, so it seemed a no-brainer choice. He had a bad reaction the first time and enjoyed the 3 hour nap his IV Benadryl gave him, but we learned on subsequent visits to make sure the drip rate (??) stayed slow and he did fine.
The view of the Sandias from the fourth floor is quite pretty, maybe not so much when the sky is all hazy, but on sunny days we both wore sunglasses inside. He is doing fine, his labs all look quite good, and he gets to do another PET scan in January to see how much less cancer he has now. I'm learning to watch when the color drains from his face since he seems to lack the self-preservative instinct which says 'hey, I'm getting worn out, maybe I should take a break'. Instead he goes, goes, goes until he crashes and then needs a few days to recover.
October was not a great month in other ways, since we had Grandpa's funeral, Meagan's funeral, bathroom repairs and dishwasher failure, car problems, etc, so I hereby declare November my new year. Or I will, once we get the dishwasher fixed. And yes, I'm whining a lot about first world problems. They're my problems, though, so who else is going to complain about them? I know I have an incredibly rich life, full of love and a warm house and all kinds of conveniences which I take for granted. I'm grateful, really I am. Just, can I have a break for a while? Recovery time to regain my equilibrium before the next wave of bad stuff? Thanksgiving is a good time to start a new year, I think. Who's with me?
5 comments:
YES. Everything is harder when you're dealing with something big and you're dealing with several huge things. Grandpa's passing has taken a huge slice of fortitude out of me- everything has been harder this past month. I can't imagine what it must be like seeing your husband through cancer, but that is not a first world problem and neither are the deaths you are dealing with. I'm so glad you could make it to the funeral with everything else going on and I know Ben must have sacrificed to make that happen. It was very good to see you. You are in our prayers and have been on the prayer roll in Mesa. Happy New Year!
Sorry, that deleted comment was mine. I'm always second-guessing my wording on stuff. :P
Lorana, thanks for your kind words. Your words are lovely, you shouldn't second-guess them!
Word. (And this is me on Ben's phone.)
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