Hello Friends:
Margaret began Week#2 or Cycle#2 of her chemotherapy protocol this past week. On Wednesday, Week#2, began with a doctor appointment and of course the dreaded finger prick! -- thank the Good Lord for warm packs and kind staffers! Although Doctor Goldfarb was on vacation the doctor who saw Margaret was quite nice and was extremely impressed by Margaret's ability to navigate through and pronounce the medical lingo like a pro. The first infusion session of this second cycle lasted about 3 hours -- just as planned. After lunch, Margaret slept comfortably through the infusion.
On Thursday Margaret returned to MSK to have another lymph node biopsy. Margaret was so thankful and pleasantly surprised that the procedure was fairly painless. And certainly we celebrated that with a quick trip further uptown where Margaret and I indulged ourselves with a delicious and huge corn beef sandwich for St. Patrick's Day. Hopefully, with God's Grace, the results of this biopsy will confirm that her cancer is indeed HER2+ and she will remain in this clinical trial for a long time.
Thank you all for your love, support and prayers.
peace, and all good
Lorraine
Friday, March 18, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
March 9, 2011 - Ash Wednesday
Greetings Good Friends and Pray-ers:
Today Margaret was scheduled for her 3rd chemotherapy appointment at MSK. On our way to the appointment Margaret and I first stopped at St Mary the Virgin at Times Square ( www.stmvirgin.org ) for noon worship, Eucharist and ashes. It was such a wonderful blessing to start today with the affirmation that though we are sinners we are so very loved. It is such a comfort to hear and know that our sins are wiped away and that there is such a deep joy in Jesus' saving help and grace.
So with that comfort we headed off to MSK for the completion of Margaret's first cycle of chemo!
Margaret's chemotherapy protocol cycle is three weeks long. The first appointment, or week one of a cycle, includes a doctor appointment and then an infusion of three different chemotherapy drugs which takes about 3 to 4 hours. Then the two subsequent weeks one chemotherapy drug is infused; therefore the appointment time is shorter, lasting about 1.5 hours.
Today when we arrived at MSK we were met by her sister Jackie and we chatted away while awaiting our turn. Finally, some time later, Margaret was called and lead into her room and was, as usual, pampered. With a warm blanket and a warm compress soon Margaret was sound and fast asleep (effect of the Benadryl). During this time I myself pretend to read but am usually bouncing between moments of sleep myself and prayer that these wonderful drugs are doing what they are meant to do.
When the infusion was over she was joyfully met by her loving and wonderful son Chris and daughter-in-law Nicole and handsomely adorable grandson Carter for a car ride home. I personally cannot express how deeply it warms my heart so completely to know and see how loved and supported Margaret is.
Next Wednesday Cycle#2 begins. First with a doctor appointment, followed by more blood work and then the longer chemo session of three drugs rather than one, followed by even more blood work!
On Thursday Margaret will be undergoing another lympnode biopsy to double check that her cancer is in fact HER2+.
On another note Margaret's side effects from the chemotherapy drugs were minimal this cycle and certainly we give thanks, a great thanksgiving for that gift. Personally, I pray that this great blessing continues and I humbly ask you join me in that prayer.
Thank you all for your love, support, cards, phone calls, emails and especially for your prayers.
peace and all good,
Lorraine
Today Margaret was scheduled for her 3rd chemotherapy appointment at MSK. On our way to the appointment Margaret and I first stopped at St Mary the Virgin at Times Square ( www.stmvirgin.org ) for noon worship, Eucharist and ashes. It was such a wonderful blessing to start today with the affirmation that though we are sinners we are so very loved. It is such a comfort to hear and know that our sins are wiped away and that there is such a deep joy in Jesus' saving help and grace.
So with that comfort we headed off to MSK for the completion of Margaret's first cycle of chemo!
Margaret's chemotherapy protocol cycle is three weeks long. The first appointment, or week one of a cycle, includes a doctor appointment and then an infusion of three different chemotherapy drugs which takes about 3 to 4 hours. Then the two subsequent weeks one chemotherapy drug is infused; therefore the appointment time is shorter, lasting about 1.5 hours.
Today when we arrived at MSK we were met by her sister Jackie and we chatted away while awaiting our turn. Finally, some time later, Margaret was called and lead into her room and was, as usual, pampered. With a warm blanket and a warm compress soon Margaret was sound and fast asleep (effect of the Benadryl). During this time I myself pretend to read but am usually bouncing between moments of sleep myself and prayer that these wonderful drugs are doing what they are meant to do.
When the infusion was over she was joyfully met by her loving and wonderful son Chris and daughter-in-law Nicole and handsomely adorable grandson Carter for a car ride home. I personally cannot express how deeply it warms my heart so completely to know and see how loved and supported Margaret is.
Next Wednesday Cycle#2 begins. First with a doctor appointment, followed by more blood work and then the longer chemo session of three drugs rather than one, followed by even more blood work!
On Thursday Margaret will be undergoing another lympnode biopsy to double check that her cancer is in fact HER2+.
On another note Margaret's side effects from the chemotherapy drugs were minimal this cycle and certainly we give thanks, a great thanksgiving for that gift. Personally, I pray that this great blessing continues and I humbly ask you join me in that prayer.
Thank you all for your love, support, cards, phone calls, emails and especially for your prayers.
peace and all good,
Lorraine
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