Chemo Treatment #2

Feb. 1, 2019


Cherie completed chemo treatment #2 this past Wednesday, January 30th... now there's 10 more to go! I went down to Tucson and sat by her side. We went in at 9am and walked out at 2:15pm.  Not all of that was the treatment. There was a lot of prep and some chatter in between. The total time she was hooked up to the chemicals was about 2 1/2 hours. There was a strong one they still couldn't give her, which is pretty much the backbone to really kick everything up a few notches. There had not been enough time between the surgery for the port and being able to administer this 4th chemical. Next time, it will be part of the regiment and I think we will see a definite difference in the treatment effects.

This second time her white blood cell count was a little low, so they adjusted for it, cutting back on the amount of the drug that causes the count to be low. Hopefully it won't be too much of an issue for the next treatment.

Cherie's days are still pretty active. She is still having more good days than bad days and the bad ones seem to still be pretty bearable. She still attends meetings, meets others for coffee, exercises on the mini trampoline, eats throughout the day, and more. She does try to catch a nap when she needs one. Sometimes her stomach is upset, but no real nausea so far, which is an answer to prayer! Most people that are not familiar with cancer may think that Cherie is laying in bed all day, due to loss of energy...to the contrary so far! The first 2 days after chemo have been filled with extra energy due to the steroids administered during treatment. This has been for both treatments so far. She is still eating well. Even though she feels full most of the time, my mom stays on her and she is able to eat more, here and there. She is still tracking her food intake to make sure she is getting the nutrients she needs. Cherie still gets lots of visitors and goes to lots of doctor appointments. We can praise God that there are only a few bad days so far!

Continue to pray for her. As the chemo treatments build up in her body, she will experience more side effects. Pray that this will be at the minimum. She is experiencing some issues with mouth sores, as was expected, but the doctors are always quick to help out with anything that will make her more comfortable. And those that have experienced cancer in their lives one way or another have also offered great remedies for dealing with side effects like mouth sores.

If you check the blog and there is no update, you can assume that things are going as expected for Cherie. You can assume that she is having more good days than bad ones. You can also visit the Caring Bridge website to see pictures and other writings. Look for cheriegraytucson on that website.

I will update again when there is anything different to report. Thank you all for your love towards my family in Tucson. Please also continue to pray for my family in Phoenix!