Cemotherapy 7

Today was my Chemo 7. Out of a total of 12 chemo's 7 is just past the half way mark. During my school and college days when I played basketball for the district and in college half time tends to be when you make the assesment as to how the games going. If we were getting trashed, we'd change stratergy and maybe take man to man defence, which could be really tiring. All with the goal of winning the game what ever the odds and what ever the effort. Can a lymphoma be that different?
The CT was to decide if the chemo is working at half time - It sure is, and my hematologists are now planning what next. The Chemo today was Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide - the pukey vein burning one's. The snaps are sister Maggie getting my chemo ready and mixed up. She started a line on my right hand today because my left hand is still sore from the chemo from 2 weeks back. She's great and got my vein on the first poke.

It took 2 hours today, and I kept scaring them by wanting to take a leak every half an hour. Chemo sisters are always worried the line will slip with too much movement and the medicine will leak out and burn the hand. I'm pretty good at making the trips carefully now!

My Cochrane research meeting went of well. Dr Benjamin P, my boss is just too great - he came for the meeting at 5 in the evening after a heavy days work and was willing to correct my papers as well as spend saturday afternoons in the future just so that I have a worthwhile project to do. Dr Prathap T is in charge of the South Asian Cochrane network (SACN) in Vell0re and is a driving force behind this research. If I send the people my proposed title this week, they will hopefull OK it and I can get to work on it soon. It just goes to show that even though I have a tumour, teachers here haven't given up on th fact that I still need to do something to feel useful. And even though it's taking their time and effort these people have really made me feel special.