Friday: First Mega-Drug Dose is Done!

Hooray!

We're home from spending most of the day at the Chemo Palace. And Bill is LOADED UP with I don't know WHAT all: probably everything from anesthetics, antibiotics, antidotes, antiseptics, antitoxins, balms, biologics, capsules, cures, drugs, elixirs, injections, inoculations, liniments, lotions, medicaments, ointments, pharmaceuticals, pharmacons, physics, and pills, to potions, prescriptions, remedies, salves, sedatives, serums, tablets, tinctures, tonics, and vaccinations.

I mean, he got giant pills; he got shots; he got at least six bags of all kinds of things dripped into his arm, and the whole time, he felt GREAT!

He read the newspaper, magazines, played crossword puzzles, read his computer, investigated a guitar he wants to buy, and even ate his whole lunch--chicken soup and a ham sandwich.

He even felt like TALKING a lot! (That would be the steroids giving him a speed-like buzz, I think.) We had all kinds of enthusiastic conversations about all kinds of things--from Madame Bovary and the downsides of romanticization of modern America, to Grendel's relevance to current political movements, to Pascal's Pensees and how souls are connected to bodies. hahahahah

It WAS kind of crazy, even for us, talking about all that wild stuff.

But I was delirious with happiness that he was talking and not PUKING all day long!

We are now home with so much anti-nausea medicine that I think he could eat a month-dead mouse and wouldn't throw it up. He got these nausea-killing medicines not just in drips, but he got a pill that cost $60 just for the one pill! Plus three other kinds of pills he has to take every six hours, even setting his alarm through the night.

Then he gets another $60 pill Saturday morning, and one more on Sunday morning. All anti-nausea medicines.

I think the fact that the pills cost $60 has an anti-emetic effect all on its own: you sure don't want to throw up anything that costs $60 a pop. So you're very motivated to keep things down. ;)

The only symptom he has so far is that his cheese and crackers tasted really bitter, and he couldn't eat them, just now.

Last time he had cisplatin, I naiively cooked him something he loved--shrimp and cheese grits for dinner (it's a Southern thing, all ye Yankee readers), and he got queasy that night, and has never wanted to see anything having to do with shrimp or cheese grits ever again.

So I'm trying to think what meal to cook him tonight, knowing he'll probably end up sorry he ate it, and I'll probably never be asked to cook it again. So far, we are thinking tuna casserole should be that sacrificial lamb this time.

Anyway, as you can tell, I'm so happy, out of my mind with relief, that we've even gotten THIS far without any stomach problems.

I will definitely post tomorrow, just something short, and let you know how Saturday goes down. Or comes up. If we aren't so lucky.

Love and thankfulness for your taking the time and trouble to check on our boy. Have a happy Friday night! We are!

xoxoxoxox
Beth & Bill