Hoo rah! Melanie made it through the first treatment. I was wrong about how many medicines they gave her on Friday. They got two in before the headache, so there was only two to do today. It did take three hours, they went real slow. First she got the pre-meds...4 medicines to help tolerate the chemo (Benedryl, nausea medicine, steroid and another drug I don't remember). Next she got Bleomycin, then IV solution (a 30 minute break between drugs) and then DTIC (Dacarbazine). She started to get a headache in the middle of this one. I told the nurse, they gave her some Advil and checked her blood pressure. It was a little on the high side. So they checked it every 15 minutes for about an hour. I think taking the BP medicine before we went helped to keep things in checked. She also took an anxiety drug this morning to help keep her calm. Before you know it, she'll be an old pro at this. We are all so proud of her. She didn't give up and didn't give in to the fear. She's stronger than she thinks she is, and with the support of many loved ones, she'll get through this.
This picture is from Friday (click on it to see a larger picture). The nurse is giving Melanie Adriamycin (a.k.a the "Red Devil"). No picture today, the batteries were dead. Today, they were able to use her port to draw blood and to give her the medcine. The port made it so much easier. She already has brusies on hands and the crook of her elbows.
On Friday, she goes for an echo cardiogram. They need a baseline of her heart. One of the drugs could cause heart damage, so they need to baseline to measure by. She'll have several more echo's as she goes. On Tuesday next week, she goes in for a blood test and then the following Wednesday (29th) she'll have her second round. This puts her off the scheduled she originally wanted and now puts her having chemo just days before my sister-in-law's wedding and the holidays. But as my mother-in-law said - if it makes her well, it's okay. I agreed.
Psalm 119:114 - You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
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1 comment:
Hi Mel Bel,
I'm sure this must be really hard for you right now, and I'm proud of you for not giving into fear. The devil loves it when we are afraid of the unknown and has us living in fear. It's o.k to be afraid, but don't let that fear be in control of what you know as the truth. The scripture says that "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, of power and a sound mind". Satan is the one who wants to constantly keep you in fear, but God is the one who will give you the power and the sound mind to keep you going. By keeping your mind fixed on Chirist, He will give you the strength to get through this time in your life. Don't ask Him "Why". You may never know why. Keep your eyes in His word to find the power you need to keep going. He will give it to you!
Love you lots!!
Aunt Cindy
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