Gettin' HUGE today...

Good morning everyone,

I just wanted to again thank you for all your prayers, words of encouragement, compassion and wonderful meals. Dana thought it would make sense to let you know about my therapy today. We have copied what will be given to me today along with some of the anticipated side effects. Thankfully, it is out patient. I am so grateful for that. The Lord has been exceedingly kindhearted and gracious to me as I have only really had one side effect so far; anxiety being the prevalent and most common. Oh, well. I’ll take that over some of the others.

Below you will read the chemo drip I am going in for this morning:

Vincristine is a chemotherapy drug that is administered for the treatment of acute leukemia, neuroblastoma, thyroid cancer, and lymphoma. It functions as an alkylating agent, meaning it prevents the replication of tumor cells by damaging the DNA.

Side Effects
The most common side effect of vincristine use is hair loss.
Less common side effects include low blood counts, constipation, nausea, abdominal pain, mouth sores, unusual bleeding and/or bruising, bone pain, and blood in the stool or urine

Dexamethasome- This I will be taking for 4 days orally
Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic member of the glucocorticoid class of steroid drugs. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant. In oncology, it is given to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, to counteract certain side-effects of their antitumor treatment.

Side Effects
Stomach upset, increased sensitivity to stomach acid to the point of ulceration of esophagus, stomach.
Increased appetite leading to significant weight gain.
Bacterial, viral, and fungal disease may progress more easily and can become life-threatening. Fever as a warning symptom is often suppressed.
Psychiatric disturbances, including personality changes, irritability, euphoria, mania.
Elevated liver enzymes, fatty liver degeneration.
Hypertension, fluid and sodium retention, edema, worsening of heart insufficiency (due to mineral corticoid activity)
Increased intraocular pressure, certain types of glaucoma, cataract (serious clouding of eye lenses)
Dermatologic: Acne, allergic dermatitis, dry scaly skin, erythema, impaired wound-healing, increased sweating, rash, suppression of reactions to skin tests, thin fragile skin, thinning scalp hair.

If you would please pray for me that the side effects be minimal and that my wonderful family would have peace only the Lord can shower on them.
My prayer is also for each and every one of you who has some sort of trial in your life- that you would truly seek the Lord’s grace and love by prayer. I cannot begin to describe it, but, once felt, you can never forget it. If there is something my family can pray for you for, that is really debilitating for you now, please let us know. I may be going through some hard core chemo, but, everyone has something in their life that only prayer can cure or mend.

In His Strength,

Godsoldier