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This short installment describes the feeling of being in the middle of a treatment program. My protocol required six administrations of drugs at three week intervals. Each cycle the body goes through the same process: initial shock of toxic drugs, small recovery for about a week, crash when blood cells are due in the bloodstream, and another recovery before the next round. With each cycle the body gets weaker, but the spirit rejoices in that it is one more step towards the end. It presents one with a crazy mix of discomfort and anticipation. With each treatment, I would tell myself, " I am 1/6 done...", "now I'm 1/3 done ..", etc. I actually tolerated the treatments quite well except for the generally expected side affects For this success, I got a increase in my drug dosages for the fourth round and after. Throughout the treatments, I was very tired and spent most of my day either reading about cancer, watching TV, or sleeping. I was in no shape to work in the lab, so I stayed mostly at home. There was a lot of boredom and waiting. I went out to dinner or movies with my friends a few times when I felt strong enough. I traveled home to Arkansas for Christmas to visit my family which lifted my spirits. I returned to Boston in time to go to the New Year's Eve festival called First Night in Downtown Boston. I enjoyed this event and it helped to take my mind off my situation for a short while.
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