The Longest Day

 One of our favorite movies is also one of the longest movies ever made.  "The Longest Day" was made to recount events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view.  I am not really about war movies but this one has some amazing actors that makes it hard to pass up.  Well, I sure wish I had this movie to watch today!  It sure would have passed the time I spent in the chemo room.

This was my first day back for chemo (second round this go around) and the first day is always long, so I had prepared for the day the best I could after the week long storm effects.  I arrived early (9am) because I was not sure about some of my appointments that had to be postponed.  I made a few extra stops and was called in to my first appointment with Dr. Drengler.

He got right to the point...we had some work to do.  The cancer in my sternum was reviewed again by a top notch radiologists who was able to look at both sets of scans together and confirmed that my sternum was so riddled with cancer it looked a splintered spider web...more like a fracture that we hope will heal after the cancer is treated with radiation and chemo treatments.  Until the healing of the bone (we pray it heals because nothing else can be done to help it) takes place I will continue to be in pain.  This pain had not gone away with any of the pain medications, so I have learned to deal with it.  

Dr. Drengler also wants to try a new treatment that has been known as the "miracle cure." This has been discussed before but not done because my cancer did not seem to fit the requirements.  We are not sure I fit now either but he is going to push for it any way.  After all, I continue to be his "weird" patient that keeps him up at night.  Unfortunately, to force the issue we will need to jump through a lot of hoops and maybe even beg a little.  That means it will not happen right away...it might take a couple of months.  That will be about the time I am do to end this set of chemo treatments and new scans will be done.  I continue to believe that all things happen in God's timing.  If it is meant for me then in will happen when the timing is right.

Then I was told my first set of blood work was good but we were waiting on the bigger set of lab work was not in for review.  He was going to send me down to begin my chemo treatments without waiting on this other set of labs.  Off I went thinking the day was going as planned without a lot of wait time.  However, that was not to be.  Some how in the time it took for me to ride the elevator down to the chemo room, Dr. Drengler had changed his mind and wanted me to wait for the second set of labs.  What was not known is the equipment was not functioning.  I would wait for four hours to get those results in.  Now I was offered the opportunity to reschedule, but since it was already going to be a long day wasted at the clinic it seemed best to wait it out.  The hours stretched on and I read half a book and enjoyed the quiet and conversations with other patients.  Oh!  And I will never have food delivered to me again...it cost $25 dollars for an $8 meal! That is criminal!

About the time we were all losing hope...I played the restaurant game...I decided to go to the restroom!  You know...when your food is taking longer to prepare than expected so you go to the restroom and the food arrives!  Well, I no sooner headed toward the restroom and my nurse hollered out for all to hear that my second set of labs had come in!  The ENTIRE chemo room cheered for me!  I did not know that everyone knew my situation but I guess gossip can even spread in a full chemo room!  I asked if I had time to go to the restroom and Nurse Diane laughed.  Not only would she wait for me to use the restroom...but she would also wait for me until the end of my treatments.  This meant another hour wait to mix my medications...that is the way it works...only after approval can the medicine be prepared. Then the treatments would take four hours to administer.  That put us at 6pm end time.  

Nine hours at the clinic was a very long day!  Not even my steroids gave me the typical high energy levels that drive my family crazy.  I came home and went to sit in my recliner and went to sleep.  I did manage to wake up for family prayer.  I even had time to join a prayer group with my parish.  I guess I needed that time with God as much as the sleep.

So...more chemo and hopefully radiation will begin too.  Getting back is slow but happening.  I hope all are getting back to your normal also.  God bless you all!