I confess I wasnt looking forward to my first doses of chemotherapy but the session went very well. Apart from my blood pressure dropping through the floor at the first injection of the pre-med to prevent nausea it could not have gone much better. In the chemotherapy suite I enjoyed a good sandwich lunch - though sadly prawns are now forbidden - with some jelly, grapes and a banana.
It was a very long day starting at 9am and going through to 4:30pm. The four chemotherapy drugs are ministered sequentially, starting with the most toxic, and one takes two hours to go through with two others taking around an hour each. One of the things I am going to have more of is time and plenty of waiting.
The Scripture verse on the reverse of my pectoral cross was chosen by a couple who very generously paid for it to be made. It is Isaiah 40 verses 30-31 and has regularly come as a word in season. Here I am going to include verse 29 too:
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles: they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
When I first announced the news in the Diocese, Liz and I had an email from one of our lay ministers simply stating Lots and lots of love and mountains of prayers are coming your way! Mountains of cards have been tumbling through our letterbox with a deluge of good wishes through letters, emails and website. It has been humbling and quite emotional to receive them. Thank you all. Im so glad that these are mountains which dont need to be climbed!
What I do need to remind myself is that unlike recovering from a collarbone break and a hip replacement, where you start with at the bottom and grow stronger, with chemotherapy the trajectory starts at the top and moves downhill. However I am already conscious of the kairos moments being offered to me and will to endeavour to share reflections through the blog. I very much hope they will help you wait on the Lord and renew your strength as well as me.
+Lee