Monday, May 26, 2008

Cycle 2

Tomorrow I start the second cycle of chemo with Velcade. There really weren’t any bad side effects, just a bit of fatigue, so even though the drug is administered more often, things have gone fairly well. I am not getting overly optimistic yet, but after the first cycle, including the 10 day respite, Poindexter the tumor is gone. For the first time in almost a year there is no lump sitting in the middle of my chest. I’m really not quite sure how to react. Poindexter and the new spot I found have both vanished. It would seem that Velcade is doing what it is supposed to. So, ok, maybe delaying the transplant is working out for the best. If Poindexter stays gone through the next two cycles, and perhaps a week or two after that, the transplant process should begin. So maybe by mid-July we can get started getting this thing into remission. I know the road ahead is still going to be rough, and the transplant itself is going to be a difficult time, but I can’t say I have ever looked forward more to feeling lousy. It’s seems to be the price for remission, and it’s a price I am ready and willing to pay. I was having a hard time with patience, but once again God has led me where I need to be. Maybe one of these days I'll really learn to trust!
Deacon John
The Feast of St. Phillip Neri
May 26, 2008
St. Peregrine, pray for us

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The thing abourt patience is that it is a discipline that has to be gained only by practice practice practice (one would hope that at the end there would at least be a recital in Carnegie Hall, but most of the time there is only passage of time, and sometimes a sense of peace in the passage of time).

Finding small graces along the way is a great way to make the practice seem less tedious. If your life has to be at a much slower pace because of the fatigue, find ways to use the slower pace to be an observer of God's amazing world. Read more, or just watch a bunch of old movies, or just people watch.

Know that my love and prayers go with you every step of the way.