Less Than Two Weeks Left

I started the second, and final, round of infusions last Monday.

This round looks a little different. Instead of five straight days, it is one day a week for four weeks. A different rhythm, a different medication, and as it turns out, a different set of experiences.

About three hours into a seven-hour session last week, my body started some classic allergy symptoms. I mentioned the itchy eyes and tingly lips, and they paused the infusion for about thirty minutes, gave me a high dose of Benadryl, then restarted at a slower pace for the rest of the day. I walked out feeling a little tired, but mostly okay.

Two hours later, I was back at the hospital. This time in the ER, working to get a fever under control. Five hours, an IV antibiotic, another few rounds of blood tests, and a chest X-ray later, I made it home and finally into bed. Not exactly how I had drawn it up.

What followed was a steady climb back. Each day a little better than the one before. By the weekend, I felt like myself again. Energy back. Spirits up. Working through that quiet, one day at a time progress.

This Monday, I went in ready for round two of that experience. Bracing a bit. Expecting a little more of the same.

Instead, it was a delightfully boring day.

No real side effects. Just a little fatigue and a lot of time to sit, think, and be grateful for a smooth one. I also got an update on my white blood cell count, and things are moving in the right direction. Always good news.

I missed one of my favorite nights of the year at Del Oro on Monday, as we welcomed 8th graders and their parents to campus to give them a taste of a Del Oro Rally and introduce them to all the clubs and sports available to them. I got regular updates all night from both staff and 8th-grade parents that made my heart warm. I can hardly wait to be back!

I will meet with my oncologist on Friday and plan to ask about returning to work right after my final infusion on the 18th. That date has been circled for a while now. It would be pretty special to be back for those last two weeks of the school year.

Here’s hoping.