Consolidation 1: Digging In

After a glorious month at home recuperating from induction therapy, Cindy is back at the hospital today for her first week of consolidation chemotherapy with one to three additional such weeks to look forward to.

Essentially, three days of infusion begin today (Monday), Wednesday and Friday separated by two “rest” days beginning Tuesday and Thursday.  If all goes well, she returns home Saturday, March 30 to recuperate at home. Once there, her counts will bottom out somewhere between April 1 and April 8 followed by a slow climb back to relative normalcy. Then in late April or early May, she returns to the hospital for consolidation round 2.  

Something like that.

The significant difference between the induction therapy she received in January-February and these consolidation rounds is that she maintains remission that ultimately boosts her recovery after each round of consolidation chemo.

Also, recuperation after consolidation mostly happens at home while induction recovery occurred in the hospital. That being the case, some of the precautions practiced at the hospital during her first month will transfer to the home setting - sanitation, hand-washing, masks, closer caregiving, etc.

That’s my layman’s take on what’s going on.  And yes, I am definitely out of my league with all this medical mumbo-jumbo. God help me.

Fortunately, God is the operative Word here.  Pulling from one of Cindy's favorite verses....

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
   whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
   that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
   its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
   and never fails to bear fruit.”
         (Jeremiah 17: 7-8, NIV)

With our roots sent into God's living waters, we brace against the heat and draw upon the sustenance that only he can provide.

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P.S. Cindy started out strong with 9 laps around the floor, beating her previous personal best by 5 laps! Her comment: "Figured I would go for it while I have the energy since I only have a little more than an hour of chemo done." (Each round of chemo is about three hours.)

Photo source: Oak Tree Alongside River