Countdown to Chemo

Sunday October 4th, 2009 - I start the week not knowing when things are going to happen, but I know it will be a busy week. I have a visit to the lab on Monday and also a visit to a Naturopathic doctor. I will have a PET/CT scan and a MUGA heart scan also done this week before Thursday. My wife and I go to mass, my energy level is pretty low and it is hard to stand through so I end up sitting through most of it. I spend much of the service in prayer, after the Eucharist (Communion) is served, there is time to just sit in quiet prayer as others are still being served. After mass, I spend a little more time in the prayer chapel. As we are leaving I run into our Priest and let him know what is going on in my life - he asks me if I have been anointed? I tell him no. He takes me and my wife to his office where he anoints me with oil for healing and offers a prayer for my behalf. I leave feeling truly blessed to have been able to make it to mass today, it is the best way to start my week.

Monday Oct 5th, 2009 - My visit to the Naturopathic doctor. My wife and I arrive at the converted house into a doctor's office. I am feeling about an energy level of 3 on a 1 to 10 scale. During this visit I am checked to see what foods are giving me strength and what is making me weak or not serving me well. I also test my blood and find that it is making me weak. Using herbs and vitamins he finds he can counteract the weakness from my lymphoma. He gives me a regiment of supplements to help give me strength. After this the doctor spends a little time resetting my immune system using acupuncture points and a laser pointer. He also uses this hands to do a little prantic healing, it looks very strange, but I leave his office feeling my energy level up to a 6.

Tuesday, Oct 6th 2009 - PET/CT scan. I arrive at the EVID diagnostic center for my PET/CT scan and I am taken back to a room in the very back of the center. There is a chair in the corner with the medical tray next to it to start an IV. After the IV is started, I am left until Patty comes in carrying a metal case. Inside the case is a steel encased syringe that holds a radioactive sugar that is injected into the IV and I am instructed to wait for an hour and then we will do the scan. I am not supposed to move a lot or shiver so the sugar will not enter my muscles but will react with the cancer cells. I end up half napping and waiting for the hour to pass. After this I am taken to the CT machine and a complete body scan is done. I ask if they can see anything, but get the standard response that the radiologist has to read the film and then send it to the doctor. I will have to wait.

Wednesday Oct 7th, 2009 - MUGA heart scan. This scan is a little different in that they are only going to look at my heart and make sure they know what it looks like and how it is working before the Chemo. I get the IV, I get a shot of something and then get to wait a half hour to get another shot. After the half hour I am given the radioactive shot which is in a much smaller steel syringe than yesterday. I then go into the CT room. This machine is more open and I have three different scans done of the heart from different angles, top, half side, full side. Each scan takes about 20 minutes to take, so breath normally and don't move. After it is over I ask about results, I am told that they will get them to the doctor, but again I will have to wait.

I have had a very busy week and at times it did not look like I would be ready, but all falls into place, but am ready for Chemo on Thursday? I don't know what to expect, how I will react, but I have the prayers of so many on my side. I am as ready as I can be. . .