Wednesday, November 26

Greetings,

  Monday, Michele had Methotrexate injected into her spine. The procedure went well, and the doctor performing the deed allowed her to leave after a mere 20 minute rest period. Some, if not most doctors require 2 hours of lying still, so we were pleasantly surprised. Another surprise, not so pleasant, was the discovery that she must have two more of these injections in her spine.

  Tuesday  she had her 5th RCHOP treatment. The drugs infused during the RCHOP protocol not only kill the Lymphoma, but they also boost her metabolism, so she ended the day feeling better than when she went in. We asked the doctor if he had anything for nerve pain, since Michele has been suffering a lot of stabbing pain in her left hand and arm since the last full-body Methotrexate treatment. He sent us home with a drug commonly used in the treatment of seizures. She took one before bed and it really helped! She slept better than she has in a long time and her hand and arm have been relatively pain free all day. We are hoping it's not a fluke, but will be repeatable. The doctor is fairly confident that the problem with Michele's ankle is a side effect of the chemo, and will hopefully disappear when treatments are complete.

  Today we went back for her Nulasta shot, but unlike previous trips, she had enough energy to dress up for the occasion and eat at Bob Evans afterwards. We even stopped at Jo-Ann fabric and shopped a tiny bit. So this has been a good week, and much better than I had expected.

  We got the schedule for her remaining treatments. She will be admitted to the hospital on December 8th for her final full-body Methotrexate treatment, typically a four day event. On December 15th she will receive the second shot of Methotrexate in her spine, then on the 16th she will receive her final RCHOP treatment. That leaves one more Methotrexate shot into the spine, which is scheduled for December 26th. We were hoping to have all the treatments wrapped up by Christmas, but missing it by one day isn't too bad.

  Beyond that, the schedule is uncertain. At some point the Oncologist will order a battery of tests to determine if they got it all, but that probably won't happen until the end of January. We'll keep you posted.
Have a great Thanksgiving, and thank YOU for praying!

Gratefully with Love,

Tim and Michele