Halftime

The time clock clicks down .... 3. 2. 1. 0. The players leave the field and head to the locker room to hear from their coach regarding the game so far.

Here I am again, with 3 rounds of chemo down & (hopefully) only 3 to go. 

Strike up the band. It's Chemo Halftime!!!

The weeks between round 2 & round 3 went quickly as they usually do when approaching the Christmas holiday. Bible Study finished. Our church had a Christmas party with games, cookie decorating, singing, a story for the kids, and a devotional for teens and adults. I had lunch with friends. And then it was time to pack for our trip to Georgia to see our "family" for Christmas. I had my blood drawn the morning we flew. The flight down was uneventful and I got to watch one of my favorite Christmas movies, "Elf." Our family picked us up and we went to dinner at another family member's home. It was fun seeing them and seeing how much the kids had grown, but we were all tired from a busy day, so we headed home, found our rooms, and said good night.

The next day was a beautiful, sunny day. A bit cool for Georgia standards, but a least the sun was shining AND it was Tea Party Day for four lovely ladies and one 4-year-old princess!!! We had a lovely time eating little sandwiches, scones, desserts, and drinking ourselves silly with different flavors of tea. Our little princess even danced a bit. Here are some pictures from our party:

The following day, we were just going to bum around, maybe go to a movie, but that all changed when Dad got sick. We think he picked up a 24 hour stomach bug. So between my sister and me, we took care of him throughout the day. Finally, on Christmas Eve, he started feeling better and could keep down food. We stayed home from their church and watched our home church on YouTube and had a late lunch. Later, that afternoon, I was feeling tired, so I went up to my room to take a nap. When I woke up, I really wasn't feeling great and guess what .... now I had the stomach bug. YUCK!!!! I was so thankful that my room had a private bathroom! I think I wore a path in the carpet between the bed and the bathroom. Finally, about 1 am Christmas morning, I was finally done and I crawled back in bed and slept. When I finally dragged myself out of bed and threw some sweats on, it was after noon!!! I drank some of the Pedialyte that we got for Dad, had a banana and a piece of toast. Of course, we do things as a family, so, my sister got the bug overnight. We did, however, have a very nice Christmas dinner, just without my sister.

Again, on Sunday, we watched our home church service in NJ and our hosts actually went to their church's service. The family from our first night came back over for some fun and pizza dinner. The kids had fun with a Lego train that actually went around on the track. In fact, the little boy thought it was fun to see how fast the train would go before it derailed!!! LOL!!!

Monday came too soon and it was time to repack everything and go back to the airport to fly home. Although our flight was delayed, we were so glad that Southwest was not one of the airlines that was cancelling many flights. Thank you Lord!!! We got home after waiting in the covered parking for a rainstorm to pass, getting dinner, and stopping at Wawa for milk, etc. After eating dinner, we dragged the suitcases in from the car and went to bed. Because you see, my sister had to go to work the following day and I had to see the APN & start the next round of chemo!!!

After getting my lunch & stuff ready to go, my sister drove me to MDA for my long day in the chair. After a long wait for the APN, we went over the numbers, etc. and all looked good. My CA-125 dropped from 138 to 108. Not as big a drop as the first time, but I'll take it!!! My platelets were also good, so ... off to the Infusion floor. The only extra thing is that I will need to have a CT scan before my next appointment and chemo.

With all the travel and sickness, as soon as I was hooked up, it was off to slumberland. Upon waking and having lunch, I got busy doing "stuff" and trying to occupy my time until I was disconnected and I could go home. Although, since I return the following day, they kept access to my port so it is easier the next day. I really appreciate this!!! My sister picked me up, took me home, we had dinner, and I went to bed. The next morning, a good friend took me back to MDA for day 2. I was lead to my chair and a new nurse - Janine, AND I did not have a window seat! She got me hooked up and guess what, I took another snooze. Thankfully, no problems or weird reactions, just boredom. I did however, finally address my Christmas cards to the girls in my ovarian cancer group on Facebook. As I was address the last one, the last of my treatment sounded and I texted my sister and she came and picked me up. I thank God for 2 uneventful days.

Usually, on the slug days following chemo, I have some energy, but I just had nothing. The tank was empty. Since my stomach was still not 100%, I ate bland foods and drank plenty of water to "flush out" my system. I just felt blah. Nothing I ate seemed to stay in me. I felt weaker and weaker. Finally, I contacted the nurses at MDA and explained my situation and asked if I should take Imodium. They said I could take it and to drink Pedialyte. After several doses, my body seemed to get the idea that food was good for me and I started feeling like my old self - several pounds lighter - but feeling good. 

During my slug days, I watched a LOT of college football bowl games. I got to do a LOT of thinking about my life while I drifted in and out of naps. And just like the team heads back to the locker room in the stadium, I headed to the locker room of my mind with my coach, Jesus. I don't think He made any major changes to my life plan, just a few tweaks. I still have a long way to go, but my goal is heaven and I'm following after Him. Have you had a half-time with the Savior? What would He tell you? Do you need to make some tweaks to your life - spiritual, physical, or mental? It's never too late to hit the locker room with Jesus!!!

This is the song that was playing on my Apple Music Worship Now channel when I finished writing. This kind of sums up my feelings. It's "Give Me Jesus" by UPPERROOM. Hit play, sit back and worship for a little over 8 minutes. You'll feel a LOT better!!! I promise!!!

Prayer Requests:

Wednesday, January 12 - CT Scan - 1:00pm ET - pray that there are no signs of cancer

Friday, January 14 - Blood draw - 7:30am ET - pray for lower CA125 and good platelet numbers.

Thursday, January 20 - Doctor appointment & Chemo #4 / Day 1 - pray for good report from doctor and no side effects while getting chemo - also pray for good weather

Friday, January 21 - Chemo #4 / Day 2 - pray for good day getting chemo and no side effects

Thanks for all your prayers & encouragement on this journey!!!

Only by His Strength,

Sandy