Monday 16 October 2017

Day 18 Third Chemo Round - A Fantastic Day

Throughout the night last night, I was drenched numerous times with night sweats. I had to turn my pillow during the night as it was also soaked. I was worried and wondering if the lymphoma hasn't been pushed back and the tumours didn't shrink in size. The night sweats are one of the telling symptoms of lymphoma. The interrupted sleep caused me to wonder how my day was going to go today.

I had so many plans and things to do before I'm tied up at the hospital all week with the stem cells being collected. I really wanted today to be a great day. When I awoke this morning, I was a little groggy and slow. Hubby and I decided that we would meet for lunch.  As my morning coffee made its way into my system, I started to wake up. In the mornings, I sit on our Lazyboy couch and drink my coffee. I have a "Bread of Life" container beside me on the end table which contains various bible verses. This morning the one I picked said "I am with you as I was with Moses." - Joshua 3:7, NIV  As I read this verse, my anxiety and worries about this week were instantly calmed. God is with me through all that is going to happen this week. He will keep me safe. What a great verse to read first thing in the morning.

I was now energized, maybe with the help of the coffee, to start my day. I drove hubby to work so that I could have our car. I returned home and picked up some music that I've been wanting to return to the church choir room since August. Today I did it. What a joy it was to see the work party of men trimming the trees and bushes around the church property! I was able to exchange greetings with these men who I haven't seen in months. What a lift to my morning already! I continued on into the church and let the secretary know I was going to be upstairs in the choir room. I dropped in to see the secretary on my way out and had a lovely, short visit with her. It had to be short because I needed to get home and get my Neupogen out of the refrigerator in preparation for my last visit to the CBI Health Clinic to get my injections.

Once I was at home and the Neupogen was removed from the refrigerator, I had to wait until it was time to go to the Clinic for the injection. I filled my time by knitting my current sock. When it was time to leave, I put my knitting aside and got ready to go. I also had an errand to run at the bank after my clinic visit. Then I would make my way downtown to hubby's work and go for lunch.

My visit to the CBI Health Clinic was good. The nurse knew this was my last scheduled visit and we had a good visit while she gave me my 2 injections of Neupogen. After my visit, I made contact with my cousin-in-law and firmed up our plans for this afternoon before I started driving to the bank. I made it to the bank and, again, enjoyed my banking errand while I chatted with the teller. I'm happy and my day is going well. It was a little early to head to hubby's work so I returned home and continued knitting before deciding it was time to go for lunch.

I made my way to hubby's work and we walked to our favourite restaurant, Darbar, to enjoy a delicious lunch. What an enjoyable time we had as we ate our favourite food and also chatted with the staff. My morning has gone exceedingly well. It's wonderful to feel this way and know that I'm having a great day before heading to the hospital tomorrow.

I  made plans to visit this afternoon with my cousin-in-law who gave me the "Bread of Life" container last month. We decided that we would get together for tea and then maybe a walk to the local conservation area. I had finished lunch with hubby and I had about an hour before I needed to be at my cousin-in-law's home. I returned home and continued knitting my sock with the calm silence of the house around me.

At the appropriate time, I made my way over to my cousin's house where we enjoyed a cup of tea together. We decided to dress warmly and walk over to the nearby conservation area. We talked and visited while we walked through one of the trails at the conservation area. We walked briskly and then decided it was time to head back to her home. It was a long walk, about one hour total, but it was invigorating and I loved our visit. I haven't had a long walk like that in a long time and I was so pleased that I wasn't totally exhausted by the end. I was very tired but I did not feel ill. I returned home and knitted more on the sock until it was time to go pick up hubby from work.

For dinner tonight, I had pulled out the frozen homemade ravioli and tomato sauce that one of our friends had brought over a couple of weeks ago. When hubby and I got home, we worked together to get it cooked and onto the table. While it was cooking, another good friend of our's dropped by to return my rain gear that he had borrowed to ride to Port Dover with hubby. We knew he was alone for dinner tonight, so we invited him to stay and share the ravioli with us. What a great impromptu dinner. A perfect ending to a fantastic day.

After dinner, I even managed to finish my sock. I have run out of that particular colour of yarn, so this pair of socks will be mine as they will be mismatched.

My day has been so good that all my anxiety about this week has been kept at bay. I'm feeling good about tomorrow. I'm going to bring a couple of books along to read while the stem cells are collected. Hubby is going to sit by my side and work from the hospital room. I will be in the Stem Cell Unit for the whole day. I will go to bed early tonight because I have to be at the Stem Cell Unit for 7:30 a.m.  Hubby has already said we can leave the house early and treat me to an Egg McMuffin and coffee for my breakfast. I'm so spoiled (as it is said with a smile). This was a fantastic day that was full of smiles and a warm heart. I truly believe all my friends' prayers have helped me today.


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