Day 6 and 7 of last week was the same as day 1 of this week, trying to find anything that Pat could keep down. In times of desperation, one will go to any measures to try to make a loved one comfortable. I went to the health food store and spent over 100 dollars on herbs and tinctures that calms the stomach, as well as vitamins and minerals, (things he didn't already have on his shelves, careening in every direction the remedies perscribed or otherwise, that were deemed ineffectual). He and I both looked at each other in disbelief that this was the first week and it was so brutal already. If you didn't already realize the uniqueness and individuality of a body, and the amount of guess work involved on the part of doctors, you will going through extensive treatment. Our doctor would be the first to tell you, " we'll have to see how you respond to this[particular recipe for chemo], we may have to change it". They give you the general idea of certian potential and or inevitable side effects, but one hopes in the back of your mind , that your case is going to be the exception. But there on the third day, not the 10th as predicted, your beloved is laying flat and unable to move, followed by inordinate amounts of upchucking, though all pills have been taken to prevent it.

If you're the praying sort which Pat and I are, you pray like the dickens for relief or guidance for relief. And then by miracle, or sacred vacation from misery, when you've screemed uncle for the umteenth time, relief comes. Today Day 2 of Week 2, Pat has had no burning, no nausea, and has been able to keep down food, albeit bland. Hallelujah! I have taken off on Tuesdays to take him to a prayer group, and he prayed he was well enough to attend, which he was. One of the women gave him a medal representing St. Benedict whose wine was poisoned by jealous monks who weren't willing to follow his leadership, and when he made the sign of the cross over it, the glass shattered.

Now we will pray, because we're never satisfied, (we're funny that way) that this day of relief will last another day and another until we make the next appointment with the doctor, to tell him no, this frickin' recipe for chemo, is just a tad to harsh. Amen.

Day three

No Nausea , feeling good, ravinous appetite. I just had to call Pat and find out if it was a natural appetite or "induced". Amoung the plethora of herbal remedies, was some marijuana acquired from one of his friends. Known for it's calming effects on nausea and appetite, I wondered if there was any left and if that, was helping him eat. His energy level and the amount he has been eating today, has been extraordinary. He said no, he hadn't partaken in the herb. This, I can call an answered prayer and genuine blessing.

Day four

Pat is doing well, and has been resting. However , I received word last night that while my mother's cancer has been in remission for a year, it has come back and they will be starting chemo at the end of the month. This whole reality has made me realize how little I know of the body. On another blog I posted the elegance of DNA. I decided to investigate the immune system and this is what I found: