Chemo

Wednesday (October 20) we went to the oncology center for a training session to learn about the wonderful world of chemotherapy. Nauseating, excruciating, unnerving, numbing, and then there's the chemo. In all fairness, Stacy, the PA who talked us through it, did a great job helping us understand what was going to happen. It's just that it's like a fine painting about bread mold: no matter how you dress it up, it's just icky.


So, here is the story: Christina will be taking 2 series of drugs. The first is a combination of Adramycin and Cytoxan (A & C), administered 4 times, once every 2 weeks. The second is Taxol (T), also administered 4 times, once every 2 weeks. That means Christina will be taking chemo for 16 weeks. The first treatment is schedule for Monday, November 1.


The scary part, of course, are the side affects. The scariest is a small chance of damage to the heart, which will be monitored with EKG. The chances of this being an issue is pretty remote, but we're glad to have them monitoring it closely.


The others include nausea, vomiting, numbing in the fingers, and fatigue. She will also lose her hair. Other than the hair, these will be mitigated by additional therapy, and we've been given assurance that these should be mild at worst.


There will be a huge affect on her immune system, as her blood count will drop significantly. To attenuate this, she'll get a shot the day after each treatment. We'll also be careful to avoid infection, so visits will be monitored especially carefully immediately after each treatment.


This is a little overwhelming. We're moving forward through this very quickly, so it's all a lot to take in. We continue to need your support and encouragement, and above all, your prayers. We will get through this.