Well, Darren survived his first cycle of chemotherapy. No bad reactions to any of the chemicals injected into his body over the 8 hour session, so we were pretty excited. Even after the session was done, he was feeling pretty good. The good news is that since he didn't have a reaction, next time we go in for chemo, the cycle will be 4 hours, not 8!
Friday was a different story. Without going into extreme detail, Darren made plenty of sacrifices to the porcelain god in our bathroom. He couldn't really keep anything down which made for a long day. Luckily, he was able to sleep through the night.
Today has been much better. Darren tried a different anti-nausea medication and it seems to be working. He even requested a chocolate milkshake - so I think we're heading in the right direction now. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better.
Even through the drug induced drowsiness, Darren is pretty upbeat. He gives me sassy remarks when I remind him its time for him to drink something or take a pill. As much as he has "crazy chemicals raging through his body" (that's how he describes it), his personality is still in tact. . . thank goodness.
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14 comments:
You guys are awesome. If you need anything let me know. With my experience in oncology I learned that it seems that the best people in the world are the ones that get cancer and have to go through chemo. Darren, I've always looked up to you. I'm so glad you are staying upbeat and positive. Thanks for such an amazing example.
You guys are amazing! You are so strong and positive through all of this. I think about you all the time and my prayers will continue to be with you!! Thanks for keeping us updated.
Marni & Darren,
Thank you as well for your note on Troy's blog. I'm so sorry to hear that Darren has been so sick. I can't believe how well Troy has done with his chemo as far as nausea goes. He drinks a ton of water though, especially during treatment sessions and we go on walks every night as long as he's feeling good. They usually inject Troy with some sort of anti-nausea medication right before he starts his treatment and perhaps that has been helping. If Darren can stomach it maybe try some protein powder each day. It seems to help Troy keep his weight on. Anyway, I could go on forever but I know you are both very busy right now. I really hope that Darren starts to feel better very soon. Nausea is not at all fun to deal with. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.
Troy & Annette
P.S. Troy said he hopes Darren has a couple of nice hats lined up (as he chuckles). At least he has a sense of humor through all of this. Take care!
What a positive attitude you guys have kept up during this whole process...it's really amazing. We are praying for you and check back to see how things are going often. Jesse says a Mt. Dew will solve anything ( I say it's what caused this!) :) but Darren's a fighter so we know it's just a matter of time before this is all a memory.
The Malans
sounds rough guys- we're just a phone call (or short molly walk) away! we will continue to remember you in our prayers and have faith that HF will help you through it.
Hey guys! I was wondering how everything went the other day. Thank you so much for keeping us posted. Our family is praying for you both. Hang in there Darren! Do you need me to come and sit with you through Chemo sometime? I would be glad to do it you know! Love you Debi
We have been thinking about you both and are wishing you the best. We hope that the treatments get better and Darren is not so sick. Zach is really going to miss Darren in YM, he probably doesn't know how helpful he was and a relief to Zach. Thanks so much we will keep reading to keep in touch now that we won't be seeing you at church. Let us know if you ever need anything.
The Gospel is great in that we can KNOW our Heavenly Father and His Son and know they are there to help us through any challenges. Just amazing how life is and how you just never know. Glad the prognosis is good.
Hey Little Bro!
I just heard! My twin has been uber-negligent with the information dissemination apparently, but Cory came through. I don't have your email anymore so this was my only means of communication. I truly hope all goes well for you. I will make sure to check back on your excellent family blog.
Many prayers out to one of my favorite 'Favorite People'. Love, 'Big Sis'
The way Darren describes it, it sounds like he is the Hulk, with out the adverse effects! ;)
What a champ. It really is so inspiring to see how people react to this. Amazing. You're in our prayers!
on a lighter note- you've been tagged (you or darren or both) see my blog!
Marni & Darren,
I just want to drop you a quick note to let you know that you guys are on my mind. I honestly hope that Darren is feeling a bit better now. Treatment can be so harsh and it is so unpredictable. I pray that his future treatments will not be so hard on him. Stat strong Darren! You will kick this cancer in the tail! Please let us know if there is anything we can do for either of you. God bless!
Annette
A chocolate milkshake helps every crummy situation.
Glad to hear that Darren still has his wits about him if not the contents of his stomach.
Despite my jokes, please know we are wishing you guys the best and pray for an effective anti-nasuea medicine!
I'm so sorry to hear that Darren is having similar sleeping issues as Troy is having. They really need their rest in order to keep up their strength. I am however, happy to hear that Darren is feeling better and that you were able to figure out what was causing his nausea. I'm sure he has enough discomfort without having to deal with nausea. I hope that things go better for him during his second treatment.
I'm glad that sharing our experiences is of help to you. Cancer is such a scary thing and it is so important to have others to go through it with.
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