Day Five -- A Benchmark

This was the fifth day of taking chemotherapy. The protocol for the clinical trial I am in calls for an infusion chemo once a day for five days and a chemo by injection through a needle twice a day for 10 days. So now I have had five infusions and 10 shots. For the next five days I will get only the shots. I hope this removes some of the side-effects. Today was pretty good in the way I felt because I have started taking a pain killer. I just take it when I request it, and it stops the aching in my leg and back muscles. I did walk before the infusion last night as planned, and slept through most of the hour of the infusion. Then I took a pain pill and felt ok but I got very little sleep. But this morning I took another pain pill and slept off and on for about two hours. I took short naps several times during the day and have felt pretty good with the help of the pain medicine.

Today was Be's birthday, so Tuell and Sharla and their three daughters flew to Houston to spend part of the day with her and celebrate her birthday. Be met them at Hobby airport a little before 10 and they all came directly to M. D. Anderson. Be and Tuell came up to my room and helped my get the room and myself presentable, then they went back down and Tuell and Sharla came up while Be played with the girls. There is a skywalk over a main street which may be seen from the window of my room. So Be and the girls went in the skywalk to a place where I could see them and they could see me, and I talked to them by cell phone. That was wonderful. Tuell and Sharla left a little after 12 and took Be out to eat, and gave her a birthday cake they had brought, and then went to a park near the hospital. Be said they had a great time, and she took them to the airport so they could catch a 5:00 o'clock flight. Then she came back here until we had both eaten supper. She will go to church with Tinker and Betty in the morning before returning up here.

I am still not in isolation but will go as soon as a room is available. When the doctor came in this morning he said, "We came to see how you are doing with the little green monsters!" With a large smile I said, "I hope you were not offended by that." He said it was very funny and he was not offended at all. He says he wishes all his patients were doing as well as me. That is very encouraging.

I am going to walk a little bit in a minute, and I am expecting to sleep much better tonight. We just praise God for how He is answering our prayers in many, many ways. Please keep praying. God is good.