Day 5: Go! Fight! Win!

Saturday was going to be a big day, and I was hoping to wake up early enough to miss traffic and make it to the hospital with enough time to decorate before the last dose of chemo. My cell phone has an alarm but I didn't realize that it was in silent mode when I went to bed last night. The alarm went off, but I didn't hear it and woke up later than I wanted. I suppose that I needed the rest. Fortunately, the traffic was pretty good (only one 2-mile stretch of stop-and-go).

The boys and I spray-painted some pine cones last night to make them compatible with the hospital environment. The plan was to hang them between a drum-cymbol stand and a IV drip with fishing wire. Plus, they had picked out some football-themed party supplies to decorate the room. I brought all that stuff up to the room, but quickly had to remove the pine cones. The paint had an odor because it was too fresh. You can see the rest of the decorations in the pictures posted here. It's not much, but adds a little fun to an otherwise unpleasant environment.

The last dose was a bit late, so I was done decorating with plenty of time to spare. I went downstairs to grab a sandwich and got a text from Krista that they started the premeds already. 

The chemo only took about 20 minutes to go in, but Krista was required to ice her mouth for a full hour to prevent mouth sores. She was diligent to chew ice the whole time. It doesn't seem like much, but if you can imagine the "brain freeze" you get from drinking a smoothie you can appreciate the feat a little bit better. Her mouth was frozen most of the time, yet she kept going. At one point, she encouraged herself looking at the decorations, saying "Go! Fight! Win!" The nurse helped her through the tedium the last 10 minutes by giving her a Popsicle they found in their refrigerator. She had blue lips from the food dye in the Popsicle, but no mouth sores.

She napped a bit in the afternoon, and needed pain and anti-nausea meds at various times. But for a window she felt good enough to get in a few games of backgammon with me.

So far it's looking pretty good, even though it doesn't feel so good for her. Blood counts are on the low side but stable. They will be dropping before the transplant since the chemo is still working in her body even though no new chemo is being introduced.

It was a good battle today, and we thank the Lord for the training he's put us through that has helped us to endure it. What might he be training you for? Go! Fight! Win!

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
(1 Corinthians 9:24-27)