Day 34
Before I went to bed last night I said a prayer. I was praying that Jackie would not suffer from any nausea the following day. I prayed that Jackie would be able to be as strong as she was yesterday upon awakening. The chemotherapy administered to her was ABVD, Here is a little review of the four drugs supplied by lymphoma.net Adriamycin can cause many side effects, including nausea, alopecia (hair loss), and neutropenia (depletion of white blood cells). It can also cause heart problems, such as arrhythmias, in some patients. Bleomycin can cause a fever, rash, alopecia, and Raynaud’s phenomenon (a discoloration of the fingers and/or toes). However, the most serious side effect is the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis, which impairs the lungs. Vinblastine can cause neutropenia, ulcers, blisters, and nausea. Dacarbazine causes severe nausea in some patients, as well as neutropenia, headaches, fatigue, and diarrhea.
There are so many different side effects from the toxic treatments. Jackie was predicted not to get any sleep due to the steroids. However, Jackie is so strong and she ended up falling asleep for a straight seven hours. She woke up today full of energy with no bad feelings. I am so happy that she is fighting this out. When I see her moving around smiling and laughing, I know that this is all worth it. I know that each time she drinks a cup of water of eats food; it powers her body with energy and the ability to flush out toxins.
I know I tend to constantly annoy her with reminders to eat protein. She thinks I’m always fighting her and forcing her to do things she doesn’t want. I would never force Jackie to do something she doesn’t want. When she eats just another piece of meat, it makes me so happy. It gives me hope and joy when she fills her body with nutrition. I just hope her body can endure the fight and prevail.