Thank you, thank you, thank you, all you prayer warriors! Your prayers have surely been heard because things went remarkably well for Jim yesterday!
First let me tell you about Jim's appointment with the doctor. After his lab work he was escorted back to the examining room. Dr. Nabi told Jim his scans from last Wednesday looked very good. She said he is an A plus patient! Then we got the news that she wanted to add another chemo chemical to his treatment plan...and this one is administered by injection into the spinal canal. She explained to us that the brain and spinal column are very protected with very thick membranes. The chemicals that he has been receiving thus far have minimal affect on them. The new chemical would specifically target the brain and spinal column to protect them and kill any cancer cells that might be growing. She compared it to spraying dandelion seeds with weed killer, killing them before they start to grow. Dr. Nabi wants Jim to have 4 treatments. So after he received his IV chemo yesterday he was then taken to a special room for the chemo infusion (into the spinal fluid). Each of the remaining two chemo treatments will be followed by the same thing. And then after all the chemo treatments are done, he'll still have one more infusion that he'll have to go in for.
Jim was a real trooper. Because he didn't know what it was going to be like he was a little nervous about it. Dr. Nabi said it would be no worse then the bone marrow biopsy that she had done previously. And after it was over Jim agreed that it was indeed comparable. It was not an easy process as it took three attempts to find the right spot to put the needle in. She was looking for a space in between two of the vertebrae to slip the needle in. It was finally successful when they had Jim curl up tightly in the fetal position. She used lydocaine to deaden the insertion area so there really wasn't alot of pain. At least now, Jim knows what to expect with the other infusions.
It is funny how you think you know what to expect and then something else gets thrown into the mix. We both remembered that there was a possibility of another chemo treatment but we both thought it was only "possible" after the main ones were over with. We were both surprised with the prospect of them being simultaneous. But Jim is determined to do everything and anything he can to kill this cancer. He does not want to have any repeats later on. So whatever Dr. Nabi recommends he will willingly do.
So how is Jim feeling today? Great! He has a little tenderness at the point on his spine where the infusion was done, but other then that he is great. He got a good night's sleep last night. He commented that this was his best "day after chemo" that he has had thus far. Who could ask for more? Thank you so much for surrounding him in prayer!
As for my dad, he was discharged from the hospital last night They got his heart back in rhythm using meds on Sunday morning. Since he has his port in place, he will be going to the hospital on a daily basis to receive the antibiotics by IV. This will go on for a couple weeks. They really want to get the infection in his leg under control. He too slept well last night and was feeling alot better today. He will continue to need your prayers for quite awhile to come!
Thanks for all your prayers. Please don't stop as they are still very much needed!
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