And so it begins...

Mary had her first treatment on December 4, 2019.  Her appointment was at 9:00.   It was surprisingly calm.  She really loves the Bruno Cancer Center.  It has a wonderful setup and the staff is so wonderful and kind.  Mary also really likes her doctor, Dr. Bondly, who patiently answered every question with gentle but straight forward answers.  She told her that there are so many different "remedies" out there for cancer, but she cautioned that you can't jump on every "bandwagon" because you want to always consider what serves you and your quality of life best.  

Mary waited a good while in the waiting room and then was brought back to draw blood work to check her levels and to gain access to her port.  She was very anxious, became overcome with emotion, and began to cry.  However, her nurse was so wonderful and nurturing.  Even another nurse came over to comfort her and even checked back in on her later.  Accessing the port turned out not to be as bad as she had imagined it would be but it was still uncomfortable.  Afterwards, Mary returned to the waiting room to wait to meet with her doctor.  

In her time with Dr. Bondly, she learned more about her stage of cancer.  It is stage three but the exact stage label is 3at2.  This label gives the doctors more information about how the cancer is spreading.  Also, one of her concerns was confirmed.  Through genetic testing, they determined she has Lynch Syndrome.  This means that after she finishes her chemo, she will have to have a hysterectomy due to an increased risk of both ovarian and uterine cancers.  Small bowel, stomach, and pancreatic cancer are all also potential risks, but you can only continue to screen for those, there are no further steps to take at this point to help prevent them.  Mary was given a referral to a genetic counselor which they will call and set up an appointment with.  Elise Rose and Silas will also need to be screened to see if either of them carry the gene as it is genetic.   The doctor went through the list of the 6 different drugs that would be administered during her chemo treatment.  She would receive 2 anti-nausea drugs (Aloxi and Emend), 1 steroid (Demamethasone), 2 drugs to treat the cancer (Oxaliplation, Fluorouracil), and Leucovorin which is a folic acid analog that protects the healthy cells from the effects of the drugs that attack the cancer cells.  The doctor explained how the pump would work and that it would contain 5FUs and would slowly drip for 46 hours.  Mary was given a kit and trained on how to disconnect herself from the pump after the drip is complete.  However, she can also return to the cancer center and they will do it for her.  She plans to utilize some of her nurse friends :)

After her visit with the doctor, she went to the clinic and found her special place.  It was set up in quads--Mary was 6A.  It certainly made for some interesting people watching.  They brought a basket with all of her medicines in it to her space.  Her precious nurse was Denise.  She was so nice, kind, and wonderful.  She took her time and explained each step to Mary in detail.  She carefully went over the paperwork of each medicine she would be administered and the side effects.

Denise educated both Mary and Jim about the pump so they would both be more comfortable with it.  

As she put each drug in, she would explain in detail what was going on to put Mary more at ease.  She quickly learned that in the clinic, it is a group effort and all the nurses look out for each other.  Mary got the chance to meet several nurses and also some other cancer patients during her time there today.  Finally around 3:00, with a smile on her face and her drip working its magic, she was headed home.  

Today, she was feeling okay.  Mary complained that she is experiencing a big sensitivity to anything cold.  The cold air, ice, and even washing her hands give her the sensation of pins and needles.  She was able to get out and run some errands then take Silas to see his great grandmother.  She squeezed in a good nap then off to the Simmons choir concert to enjoy Elise and James with her family.  

So thankful for modern medicine and how far we have come in the treatment of cancer.  Please continue to pray that through these 12 treatments that Mary will experience complete healing, will still be able to do all the things she wants to do with her family, and that she will feel the love and support of everyone around her and in turn keep a spirit of hope even on the hard days.