Day 11

Art is off the oxygen! Well, almost. He insist on wearing the mask around his neck like a necklace, memories of not being able to breath not far enough off.

It was the oncologist's idea. If we took off the O2 and Art's saturation level stayed above 92% it would be one less thing for him to be tethered to. Art's look questioned the doctor but in the end the doctor won. It been 6 hours and Art looks great.

I left the hospital today. There is a new order with the chemo that frees me to think about the rest of our lives. This order is the way it will be for the next 12 weeks. There's no fighting, there's no worrying about how or when. It's abosute. If we want Art to live, we will walk down this path, in this order, on these days. It simply is and that is a relief.

Chemo is a process and not a shot, which for some reason I though it would be. The order:
Saline push
Steriod to amplify the anit nasea drug
32 ml of Zofran anti nasea drug
46 ml of Etoposide (chemo drug)
1000ml (not sure of amount) of saline plus potassium to flush kidneys)
46 ml of Cisplatnum
Everything done in 4 - 5 hours.

See what I mean? It's more regimented than our normal days. There is no guessing and hoping it works. They know it does, it has worked on countless others. We are happy to be an anonymous number in this game.

Another chemo drug will be added once Art is free and clear of the O2. Bleomysn is a wonder drug but can cause lung failure if you're on O2 while it's administerd.

So far no side effects but it is only day two. We might have them, we might not. It doesn't matter. Art is on his way to recovery. I know there will be tough days ahead, but after 12 days off listening to labored breathing, worrying at every cough and every rustle of his bed sheets and trying to read and interpret the medical staffs urgency or lack there off, I am glad to rest my soul and let these drugs do there jobs.

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