Things about Sam and Leslie

Our first day of chemotherapy was a long one.  Sam had to get his labs drawn, meet with the oncologist, and then he began his four-hour treatment. We were at the hospital for four hours before the four-hour treatment.

We were given one of the deluxe suites for his chemotherapy.  Beginner’s luck!  It’s similar to a corner office (with the exception of the bed).  Sam had a bed.  I had a recliner.  We were both given blankets that were heated to 115 degrees.  Oh, what a sweet suite.  If you are curious as to what a 115 degree blanket feels like, I can only say that I don’t recommend sticking your favorite quilt that your grandmother gave you in the oven and baking it at 115 degrees.  That’s just some advice I thought I’d share.  The room had windows with a view and our tv had a remote control!  Though it seems as if all of the tvs would have a remote control, at the infusion center, this is not the case.  Maybe we should consider “accidentally” taking a remote control home after a visit and conveniently bring it back each visit but “forget” to leave it there.  Maybe that’s why there’s a shortage of remote controls!

At the beginning of the treatment, we had to watch a video about Vanderbilt hospital, cancer, and chemotherapy.  Some of the information was very insightful and offered great tips.  We learned about the BRAT diet, which consists of foods that have relatively low fiber and are easy to digest.  BRAT stands for:  bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.  I’m sure Sam would prefer:  bacon, ranch, Alaskan king crab legs, and T-bones.

Even though the information was helpful, it was delivered in an unenthusiastic way.  In true Sam and Leslie style, Sam and I laughed inappropriately at parts and were distracted quite frequently during the video. The nurse came into the room and said (sarcastically), “It’s nice to see you both paying attention.”  Whoops!  This reminded me of the two of us getting in trouble in high school.

Sam received anti-nausea medication, steroids, and three different chemotherapy drugs.  After the chemotherapy, he was feeling pretty good.  I didn’t let him drive home because I was afraid of roid rage 🙂 We stopped by the Hackett residence to visit my parents and then we stopped by the Bledsoe residence to pick up soup, biscuits, and muffins that Jackie had made for us.  About the time we got home, Jack stopped by to deliver us some scones. More food!

Sam began to feel ill right around dinnertime.  He was able to eat a small bowl of the delicious soup and a couple of biscuits.  After just a little bit of video game time, he was off to bed early.  Sam said he had lots of weird dreams.  That must explain why he stole the sheets from me on several occasions throughout the night.  Hmph!

On Wednesday morning, he was still feeling pretty badly.  He has been prescribed two different anti-nausea medications and had to take them both on Wednesday morning.  He also had a roaring case of the hiccups.  The hiccups piqued BB and Theo’s interest.  Each time Sam hiccupped, they both looked at him like, “What?!?!?!?!”

On day two of chemotherapy, we got lucky again with the deluxe suite.  Sam hung out on the bed and read for the duration of his treatment.  It was rather uneventful and pretty peaceful.

We have been warned that Sam will continue to feel pretty bad for the next few days (even up to a week).  Sam just got an Xbox 360, so hopefully he can distract himself from the side effects with video games, good food, and lots of naps.

We have an appointment with our oncologist next Thursday, so we’ll post again soon!

We can’t thank everyone enough for all of the support, love, and prayers.  Kate, Amy, and Nina, you are all my saviors for coming to town last week.  Jack and Jackie, you are the best cooks in the world.  Thank you for keeping our refrigerator stocked with incredible food.

Here are some recent pictures of our adventure and our pre-emptive strike against hair loss.

Lots of love and thanks,

Leslie