July 15, 2015

Thank you for your prayers. I am glad to have one more chemo treatment behind me. Dan and I arrived at the hospital at 8 am. I was able to sit in my favorite corner. The nurses typically tell me I can choose which chair I want. The only challenge of the day was starting the IV. Three different nurses attempted to find one of my “dainty” veins, as they called them. I noticed that some nurses have more gentle touches than others. As I had to sit through the poking and prodding, I thought back to what I  have read in some of my Bible reading recently. “Blessed are those whose strength is in You.” -Psalm 84:5. I knew that God was with me, and I tried to sit back and let Him work. It truly helped me relax to rely on Him for strength. “Fear not, and be not dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15

I was sitting next to Linda and Beth yesterday. Linda began chemo about one year ago! But she will have her final treatment next week. Beth was receiving her final treatment today. When she finished her treatment, she got to ring the bell– that is a tradition for chemo patients who finish their treatment. Some of her family members came to watch her ring the bell. I was also glad to talk to another Ovarian Cancer patient, Ally, who I met during my last treatment.

My friend Teresa came to visit, and I enjoyed the time with her. Talking and sharing lunch was a gift, and made for an enjoyable time. She showed me pictures from a recent vacation, and I really enjoyed that.

When Dan and I got home, I felt very sleepy and took a nap. I was still able to sleep through the night that night, so that was great! I am grateful that I am able to predict and even manage some of my side effects better now. I know some of you have prayed for my treatments to get better as time goes on. I didn’t believe that would be the case, because I assumed I would continually feel weaker. But, I feel that predicting how I am going to feel does make the weeks of treatment seem more tolerable. I am also so grateful I have had no more colds since the second round! I consider it a blessing in many ways to have chemo during the summer.