EllingFamily:TogetherWeThrive

The first round really went pretty well. I didn't like being constantly poked for the iv but the cancer center nurses were highly skilled and did an excellent job. For the nausea, my doctors gave me zofran, compazine, decadron, and ativan suppositories. By the Thursday and Friday of the first week my stomach was pretty upset most of the time, but the worst thing was the sleepless nights. For some reason I just could not get too sleep.

To try and get to sleep, the doctors prescribed Ambien. This drug proved to be very disruptive. I would fall asleep, which was great, but then my dreams would be so vivid that I would wake up sweating and sometimes shaking. After a few nights of these symptoms, I decided that I just could not take the Ambien anymore, so the doctors switched me to Sonata. The Sonata did not put me to sleep for as long as the Ambien but I did not have the side effects that I had before.

As far as fatigue was concerned, I stayed stable. Other than having a continual upset stomach and feeling generally tired, I was still able to move about the house, go to a few of my niece's softball games, and go about my routine, however, I did not have the energy or level of health to return to work. Luckily, I had roughly 30 days of sick leave and two weeks of vacation saved up that could cover a large portion of the time needed to do my treatment, but it cannot be understated how well the Belmond-Klemme School District treated me giving me as much time off as I needed. I will never forget the kindness and generosity of the administration that provided me with this gift and overall peace of mind during my time of need.

In terms of my mental condition, overall, I was in pretty good spirits. The doctor at the outset of my treatment had prescribed for me Paxil, an anti-depression medication. I took the medication regularly because Dr. Bate indicated it would take awhile to build up in my system. Even though I was in good spirits that does not mean that I did not have my scared, hopeless, depressed times as well. I distinctly remember breaking down and crying on the phone when talking with my pastor. Dealing with my own mortality was definitively the most challenging and scariest part of battling cancer. It made me evaluate what was really important in my life and dedicate myself to try and achieve those areas.

At the end of my first round on April 30, I was glad it was over and hoped things would get better. I would soon find out as my second round began on May 3.