1st Chemo

Dad started his first chemo session yesterday. Yesterday was great! Mom had lazer eye surgery & Tiff stayed in Salem with her. Dad was up at OHSU w/his 2 brothers & Michael. He was ready to fight. He knows it's going to be much like an ultra marathon. He knows this is only the beginning & it's going to be a long hard haul, but he'll get through.

They checked in first thing in the morning. Dad had a pick line put in, had his "mugascan" (some testing around the heart, I believe - all this stuff starts sounding alike after hearing so many variations of the same types of tests), & then the boys went for long walks around the OHSU complex. The place is huge! Dad checked into his room. They chatted, watched TV, went for more walks, ate pizza (2 different times)...dad had his first doses of the chemo. Uncle Chris stayed with him & slept on an air mattress (much appreciated, thank you!). Dad slept through the entire night.

Sidebar - when you check into the oncology floor at OHSU (for the first 48 hours), any visitors have to wear these yellow long sleeve aprons & purple latex gloves at ALL times you are in the room. When you leave, you dispose of them & have to put new ones on when you come back in the room. Not easy to text, email, to do much of anything really. We have some classic pictures.

This morning, everything sounded delicious to dad. He ate enough breakfast for 3 men. It was great! The nurse made the mistake of mentioning that walking around a loop on the floor 33 times equaled a mile. Yep, you got it right...dad took Uncle Chris for a morning workout consisting of a mile walk. We had pizza for lunch (dad found a new favorite), chatted, watched some tv, & did a little work.

Mom took off her goggles this morning (she had to wear them for 24 hours after eye surgery) & she can see!!! She & Tiff headed up to the hospital after her appt this morning.

Late in the morning...those dreaded hiccups came back. We tried MANY different tricks. For awhile shoulder rubs & ice cream worked. Then it was drinking water upside down (literally). Then came the pushups. Breathing into a paper bag. Drinking water from a cup with a knife. Finally, we resorted to the medication. This, after 5 hours of hiccuping w/the 20 minute rests in between. The nurse informed us that chemo wreaks havoc in the diaphragm & a lot of times hiccups are a natural side effect.

Dad slept for a few hours after that. I'll update more tomorrow when I talk with mom & see how his night went. From the sounds of it, the side effects of the chemo usually start showing up anywhere from tonight, but they could take up to a week to show their ugly side.

He had another dose of chemo tonight at 8:00pm & another 24 hour drip starting at 10:00pm. It sounds as if he won't be released until Sunday at some point. They scheduled his next chemo treatment for December 27th @ 8:45am.

As of right now, mom & dad aren't wanting any visitors or many phone calls. I'll keep you all updated on when things are a little easier - & when they won't mind so much the constantly ringing phone. They are very appreciative of the calls, kind words, & prayers, but it's exhausting sometimes. W/the chemo effects, it's going to be much harder for the both of them. We do go see them every day & we print out all comments or emails we receive for them, so if there is anything you would like us to pass on, please feel free to email or post a comment! Also, when "visiting hours" start taking place, dad's immune system is going to be completely GONE. If you feel any sort of anything...even if you only think it's allergies or if you've been around people that have been sick, please do NOT go by to visit. Dad can't risk getting anything. Thank you!

Again, we can't thank you enough for everything everyone of you is doing & has done. We would be lost w/o the support of our family & friends. Thank you for keeping mom & dad in your prayers & thoughts - right now, it's about all any of us can do.