DAY 5: The Side Effects Start

Today is DAY 5 of treatment.

This morning when my mom woke up she was feeling pretty good. We were looking forward to going to the Family Waiting Room to watch "Regis and Kelly" to see the Filipina who was eliminated from "American Idol." But some side effects started to show up today.

Some side effects of the drugs and fluids that are being pumped into her are an increase in her high blood pressure and increase in her sugar levels. This is expected and throughout the weekend they've been monitoring and managing it.
Another side effect she had this weekend was to one of the medicines they gave to fight the nausea. On Saturday her cheeks got flush and the doctor warned her that she may get an acne breakout. It actually was a nice rosy color -- the look you get after a good workout. That side effect went away by the end of the weekend and she was scheduled to take that med for only 3 days so she shouldn't exhibit that reaction anymore.

Late this afternoon my mom started to have some of the more common chemo side effects. The dinner that arrived was some turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy. When she lifted the lid she became nauseous. While she tried to eat, she wasn't able to keep any of it down. She ended up having to have a toasted bagel and ginger ale.

Because the chemo is basically killing off blood cells, the blood cells that fight off infection are weak and dying. Most chemo patients will have to deal with infections and fevers until their counts go up. (Pardon my non-medical mind trying to explain this stuff!!) This afternoon my mom started getting chills, feeling feverish and feeling a painful sensation when her back, head and shoulders are touched. The doctor assured us that the fevers are expected and it's one of the reasons why this treatment and recovery time is done in the hospital. The painful sensations are probably a "pre" symptom of the infection that is likely to come.

Today was the first day that we've seen significant effects of the chemotherapy. Since we're on Day 5 of 7 I can have a tendency to think..."ah, only 2 days left." But that's just 2 more days of TREATMENT. Today has reminded me that there is still a lot of time for recovery ahead.

Please pray for the nausea, fever, infection and pain my mom is experiencing.
Please also pray for how she (and we) handle other side effects to come (continued nausea, fatigue, hair loss, etc.).

We had visits today from several friends from church. Having the company of friends and loved ones mean so much. It's great to have the encouragement and the reminders that there are so many cheering us on.

*When you pray for our family, please also pray for the Green family. They are right next door at the Children's Hosptial of Phildelphia. Zach is a young member of our church who is said to be the "sickest kid in the ICU." They are searching out a diagnosis - believing it is an auto-immune problem.

I've been so amazed and encouraged at the prayer support for our family. I've recognized the power of prayer in many ways during this time.
Please pray for this family too.