7 Days In

     So there have been lots of things we are thankful for this past week but to be honest today seemed a bit harder. We're so glad for anti-nausea drugs as that has not been an issue at all. Beth was bothered by headaches for a couple of days (Tues., Wed.) but these could be managed with Tylenol. We certainly appreciated getting 3 delicious meals delivered to us this week from friends at church, especially as Beth has felt a real lack of energy. While that feeling wasn't too strong the first few days, it did hit pretty hard starting Thursday evening. And on Friday she was feeling quite weak, to the point where she said she felt that if she had tried to take a walk outside she'd be afraid of the wind blowing her over.

     However we had a very nice family time Thursday for supper with everyone here except Joel (who's living in London but will be home for a visit this Tuesday). Our beautiful granddaughter Lindsay did a great job entertaining us as she bonded more with our yellow lab, Josie, and started doing some commando-style creeping around the rug trying to get the iphone I laid just out of her reach. A special aspect was that Beth had laid out a quilt for her to be on that was made by her mom and grandmother.
     We laid low during Saturday, with Beth resting a few times, but then she felt she had enough energy to go to our church corn roast near St. Clements. We had a wonderful time visiting with lots of good folks and were grateful for the sunshine keeping Beth warm. She did get tired after awhile so did retreat to the car for a bit as well.

     So today, Sunday, we headed up to Beth's hometown of Zurich to celebrate (open house/drop in) the 80th birthday of one of her cousins. Both of her sisters, Sharon and Elaine, along with her brother Gary were there too so it made for a nice mini-family-reunion. But Beth is really beginning to be bothered by her mouth. Part of her history is that she was treated for Hodgkin's disease 30 years ago and they used radiation on her neck and mouth/nasal area. Consequently she has had to adjust to having very little saliva in her mouth for a long time now, which has made her more sensitive to spicy foods and has also resulted in a lot more dental work. It seems though that the chemotherapy drugs are affecting this even more, which would make sense, as they target the fastest growing cells in our body. Beth is finding that her lips are very dry and cracking, and her mouth is even more sensitive. She is concerned about getting sores in her mouth which then would be a risk of infection. As well, I think we're both a bit worried about how bad this will get - will it start getting better or will the chemotherapy continue to exacerbate the situation? Beth will try to contact the doctor tomorrow to find out more and perhaps get a cream for her lips that can aid in the healing process instead of just protecting them (though she is glad for Burt's Bees lip balm;) Just tonight she also began wondering if she's getting a cold, which wouldn't be a good thing. From information we've gathered from different sources we are quite hopeful that week 2 and 3 after the chemo will have Beth feeling better and better (just in time for the next round, of course).
     We so appreciate your interest and support and prayers during this time.