I am now 14 days into my first course of chemotherapy and it has been something of a roller-coaster. They say that everyone responds differently, even to the same drug cocktail, so there were many possibilities but few certainties. Everything is measured from day 1, the start of the Course, and on day 4 I felt really well, enough to go for a gentle 30 mile bike ride with my daughter Louise. Three days later I felt I had done 10 rounds with Joe Frazier!
The principal impact of the therapy and the various chemical agents streaming around my system has been to kick any normal sleep pattern into touch. However, I have taught myself to simply rest during the small hours and there have been sleepless periods where I have sensed God teaching me about myself and this experience. That said I have also had a run of days last week where I did not feel I had the energy even to pray. Knowing that so many others have been holding us in prayer has been a real blessing at times like this.
If my blood counts are okay and at this stage I am fully expecting them to be within the limits - the second dose of chemotherapy will be delivered on day 15, namely tomorrow. Knowing the shape of my response to the first dose, and those sundry pills and tablets given to limit side-effects, I feel better prepared to enter the second half of this first course. If the chemotherapy is giving me a bruising the excellent news is that I could see a visible shrinkage of the lymphoma on my neck within 48 hours of the first dose going in. Praise God, Smokin Joes haymakers are clearly hitting the mark!