Chemo starts tomorrow ...

We met with the oncologist today. I will be taking two types of chemotherapy. One is an oral (pill) form 'Tarceva' which I will take once per day (you would not believe how much just the pills cost!). Tarceva acts on the signals that tell cancer cells to multiply. The other is an IV form in the 'Gemzar' family (have yet to find out how much this one costs). I will take it just like a regular IV once per week for 7 weeks, 1 week off and then 3 weeks on, etc at an infusion rate of 100 minutes each time. This will be less than two hours - just enough time for a good book to get boring but too long for a nap. Thankfully, I will not have to have a port since the Gemzar is easy on the veins. Before the first treatment is an educational session about the do's and don'ts while taking treatments. I am excited to get this started so we can kick this cancer in the proverbial butt once and for all. I hope to be an encouragement to the other cancer patients while taking my own. Hope is what is needed since so many times it is lacking with this type of disease.
My parents are in for a few days, so they will be driving me to and from Mary Bird. They have been such a great help as well as so many others. I definitely feel like I am not alone in this fight, which provides much encouragment.
About movies ... there are so many out now and in the past which appear to have potentially been good ones, but the language, sexual content and other things makes them undesirable. I often said in the past if they would take out the bad language they could sell more tickets. There is an animated/computer generated one out now called ' Wild ' which is about animals displaced by humans building subdivisions, etc. trying to take back there land. It looks to be a funny one. 'Ice age II' was a funny one with a good message.
About books... I am reading through 'The Imitation of Christ', which is a very old book. I believe it was written about 600 years ago. Thomas a Kempis is thought to be the author, but possibly Gerard Goote, founder of 'Brothers of the Common Life' of which Kempis was a member, could be. I don't think either man would be concerned about getting the credit if they lived by the priciples laid out in the book. Regardless of who wrote it, this book goes very deep into the spiritual life of the believer - thoughts and actions are covered thoroughly. You have to read some and then chew on it the rest of the day. It is difficult to get more than a few pages without wanting to re-read the page you just finished. But this book does come with a warning, if you read it, you may experience an improvement in you spiritual life. So reader beware.

Quick joke - Q. Do you know why Baptists don’t drink?
A. Because it could lead to dancing.
Okay, one more -
Q: What do you call a Presbyterian drinking Mountain Dew?
A: A Hyper-Calvinist.

Have a great Friday. Be a blessing. GW