Chemo #5

Teresa went for a blood test this past Monday to make sure she was in suitable condition for her fifth chemotherapy treatment (out of eight) on Tuesday. Oncology staff found that Teresa’s blood was anemic, so on Tuesday received a blood transfusion and chemotherapy simultaneously. Mom felt a lot better after the hemoglobin boost, but the chemo treatment still weakens her. Teresa continues to spend most of her time resting in bed, and reading when she’s able.

Chemotherapy is tough on a body, since it’s basically a chemical “carpet bombing” of all fast-dividing cells. The goal is to kill cancer cells in particular, but the entire body suffers. If you’ve ever sprayed your lawn with Killex or some other weed killer, you get the idea.

When you spray Killex on your lawn it kills all vegetation a little bit (i.e., your grass), but since broadleaf weeds absorb more of the poison, they will die while the grass recovers. The most obvious casualty of chemotherapy is hair loss, since hair follicles fall under the heading of fast-dividing cells. However, there’s no reason why hair loss should stop a person from looking good:

Chemo hats - John's favourite

Chemo hats - Teresa's favourite

Teresa’s spirits are definitely improving since moving into our house, plus she’s gained seven pounds! The sound of Ian rattling around as he leaves for work, the beeps that signal a fresh pot of coffee, Oliver the budgie tweeting on about something – these are the sounds of life and activity. It’s depressing to deal with chemo sickness by yourself.

Mom relaxing in her room

As always, we appreciate your prayers for Teresa. If you’d like to send her an e-mail for encouragement, she would certainly appreciate that. Returning a phone call or message is more difficult for her, however, as it requires significant energy.

If you have any particular questions, please contact me (jcmolendyk@rogers.com) or leave a comment below, and I’ll try to address your questions in future posts.