I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family (mom, dad, brother, husband, daughter, and a friend from church) and all I can say is that it was another reminder of how precious life is and how blessed I am to be surrounded with the love and support of my family. Truly, truly, I am blessed!

Unfortunately, the day after Thanksgiving, my daughter came down with a sore throat. I was a little worried because I didn't want to catch her "bug" and jeopardize my next chemo treatment. It's a really big deal to have to postpone a treatment, as they need to be given at set intervals.

I've also read about women going through chemo who catch a "little cold" and end up with pneumonia and in the hospital, so that freaks me out as well.

Yesterday (Saturday), my daughter awoke feeling absolutely miserable. I don't know when I've seen her feeling so bad. Her throat was MUCH worse and her glands were swollen. She was very sick. I knew right away that she needed to see a doctor, so I called for an appointment and my husband took her to the doctor.

The bad news is that she has STREP throat, but the good news is that she was given antibiotics and 24 hours later, feels MUCH better. The kicker is that I had rheumatic fever as a child and have always been told that I should definitely not get strep throat again, as it could cause a relapse, and especially not during chemo, since my immunity is not up to par. :~(

I called my oncologist right away, but of course, she was off for the weekend, so an on-call doctor phoned me and prescribed antibiotics for preventive treatment. I'm not sure that my oncologist (Dr. E.) will go ahead with chemo #3, but if my blood counts look good, maybe so. I hope we will do it, as I am looking forward to getting my final treatment done before Christmas. I can't imagine a better Christmas gift!

Today I started taking 16 mg of steroids in preparation for chemo. I have to say that I REALLY dislike being on steroids (the hospital also gives it to me intravenously), but I shouldn't complain, as the steroids help with the allergic reaction and cut down on the nausea. I've never been much of a drug person (other than Tylenol or Advil), so it's rather ironic that I am having to cram so many in my body right now. Whaddya gonna do?

One way to look at it is to be thankful for the fact that I live in this time when antibiotics can bring relief to something like strep throat in such a short amount of time. Thank you, Lord, for medicine that can be a healing force. And, as I wrote about in a previous entry, I believe that God is the Inner Healer.

So I'll keep this one short (for me) and catch up with everyone on the other side of chemo #3. I think I may try to take some photos this time (sort of a photo essay of my chemo day) so that I can share with everyone. That is, if I can get my nurse to smile and pose for the camera. Hehe.