Chemo #1 Update

Today is Chemo day. Finally started this part of the battle against Teresa's cancer. More on that later.

Last Saturday, Teresa and I were privileged to go to Holy Archangel's Monastery in Kendalia. We were blessed to be able to spend a few hours with Father Ephraim. Father Ephraim blessed us and prayed for healing for Teresa, as well as annointing her with myrrh from the Iveron icon. He also gave us prayer ropes, and we bought a few things from the Bookstore.

Afterwards, we headed home and stopped in Johnson City and did a little shopping and went to lunch. It was a very nice and peaceful time. Afterwards, Teresa said it was a very good day.

Monday, we took some time and bought a new truck to replace our SUV. I was able to take some money out of my 401K (Yay for being almost 60!) which allowed us to make the down payment. I'll be pulling some more money out in a few weeks to buy a travel trailer so we can travel without having to worry about all the various Covid restrictions.

We are going to take a few short trips after this first Chemo session. We want to understand how the Chemo affects Teresa before we plan any longer trips.

Monday Teresa will get her PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography) https://www.healthline.com/health/pet-scan which will allow the Oncologists to understand how extensive the cancer is and later on how well Teresa is responding to treatment.

After the second chemo session assuming she is well enough, we plan on taking a trip to Alaska. Teresa's greatest wish is to see the Northern lights. Even if they aren't active though, we want to see this beautiful area together.

Teresa's chemotherapy is a three day process. Day one is the longest part. Teresa will have a series of 4 drugs inroduced to fight the cancer. These drugs will be inserted into the port she had implanted in her right shoulder. This port has a catheter going from the jugular vein into her heart. This is to allow the drugs to be blasted to everywhere in her body.

The drugs are introduced one at a time. The fourth drug is adminstered over 46 hours via a pump she will wear home. Thursday is a rest day, and then Friday we will go back to have the pump removed. Then 11 days later we get to do it again. This is the pattern we will follow until we know if the drugs are helping or not.

Along with these drugs will be a number of drugs to deal with nausea and to strengthen her body.

Additionally, there are fluids bulding in her abdomen that may periodically need to be removed. This fluid buildup is called ascites. https://www.medicinenet.com/ascites/article.htm. This is a common problem with abdominal cancers.

As always, we appreciate your help, your prayers, and your good wishes.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/teresas-cancer-journey

https://www.giveinkind.com/inkinds/Q6C2G6W/supporting-the-nials-family