CHEMO ROUND 4

Arriving at the hospital a little early for ROUND 4, I visited Brother Henry briefly to see if I could score a few cookies that I knew Tom Butash had left the previous day. Brother’s face brightened when he saw me and he said he hoped to be going home soon. The fact that he was free standing (no IV lines in sight) was a great sign. Although he didn’t surrender any cookies, he did wish me luck as I headed for the chemo room just down the hall on the eighth floor.

As I was about to enter the reception area, I noticed Monique, the Drug Access facilitator, busy at her computer in a secluded cubby. I welcomed the chance to thank her for her help with my supplemental health care coverage from the Trillium Foundation. Despite the fact that I had just been notified that their plan only kicked in once I paid the first $4300, it was still good to know that I would be getting some help along the way if my expenses started to spiral out of hand.

Monique is a stylish woman in her late twenties whose hair is a different colour every time I see her. She gave me a warm smile and said she liked my new Bruce Willis look (now she was in the running for the leather jacket). As I began to express my gratitude for her help and concern, her face brightened exponentially.

“I have some good news,” she said. “The manufacturers of Neupagen may have picked up the cost of your second and third doses of the drug. If they haven’t billed you by now, I think you’re in the clear. Hopefully, they’ll do the same for your future doses too.”

“I could give you a hug,” I replied spontaneously.

She opened her arms and took me up on my offer instantly. Either she doesn’t have a husband / boyfriend or she is a huge Bruce Willis fan.

I entered the chemo room feeling rejuvenated. Much to my nurse’s surprise, I weighed in at 183 lb, a testament to my habit of eating half a pie as a snack while on prednisone. My blood pressure of 125 over 80 showed that the effects of Monique’s hug were wearing off.

As the Benadryl drip which precedes the chemo drugs began, I hunkered down for the next few hours reading the paper, doing crosswords and listening to the elderly patient seated across from me. Although she had brought her niece for support, I seemed to be the one she turned to for a sympathetic ear.

Terry arrived shortly after lunch time to deflect some of the chatter from me and soon Dr. Goldman arrived. He looked relaxed and comfortable for a change.

“Good news from your CT scan,” he began. “One of your tumors is completely gone and the others have been reduced in size by about fifty percent.”

“Does that mean three more chemo sessions should do it?” I replied.

“I certainly hope so. Some of the other tumors may not disappear entirely but they should shrivel up and cease to be a problem,” he continued. “Things are going exactly as I had hoped.”

“Amen to that and thanks be to my communion of saints,” I thought to myself.

He then carried on about how heartburn can be a side effect of chemo and that Zantac is a good remedy for it. He continued talking but I was still savouring the good news…a nice response to the chemo indeed.

Although I still had nine more weeks of chemo side effects to endure, hopes for a full recovery by Christmas seemed like more of a reality than ever.

My inner voice was yelling, “ROUND 4 to MIKE 2.0!”