Does being green count?

Monday, March 17, 2008

I must admit I don't understand why St. Patrick's day is celebrated. (Celebrating St. David's day -- he's the patron saint of Wales -- would make a little more sense to me.) But here at The James shamrocks abound, and an OSU sorority actually delivered St. Patrick's day cards to all the patients! Not being Irish, I don't wear green or drink green beer (although rumor has it that a dear family member had her first Chicago St. Paddy's Day weekend experience). Marsh, on the other hand, is mildly green, due to nausea...

Does being green count?

Once more it has been too long since the last blog update. To those who have gently reminded me to get crackin', thanks. One friend suggested that the reason nothing has been written recently is because we're tired. And, upon reflection, he's absolutely right. Guess I hadn't realized how true that is.

Thankfully I'm not too tired to have seen the miracles of the last two weeks:

First, the actual chemo is complete. Done. Over. Halleluiah and Amen!

Second, Marsh's kidneys have functioned properly this entire round. As a result, the Methotrexate cleared his system in record time (as opposed to the "usual" extended time is has taken, and the complications that have ensued).

Third, while he is currently enduring extreme mouth sores, they did not erupt nearly as early in the cycle as before.

Fourth, his white counts have already bottomed out, and are slowly on their way back up.

Therefore, he is in recovery from the chemo, and, once the white counts are appropriate and the mouth heals sufficiently, Marsh will be released for good (no real estimate on that... perhaps in a week or so).

Miracles every step of the way, all by the grace of God.

Although weary, I am not too tired to recognize the humor of our latest situation either:

Marsh is in isolation.

Why? (Wait for it; it's worthy....)

He has chicken pox!

Yep, it's true. From this layman's perspective, apparently once you've had chicken pox, the virus stays dormant in your body. Later in life it might cause you to have shingles. Or, as in Marsh's case, it "re-activates" because of his chemo-weaken immune system. So, while it's not the kid-version of chicken pox, it is chemically the same...

Just one more example of how no two rounds of chemo have been the same -- and certainly never boring!

Finally, all weariness diminishes as I anticipate Spring coming at last...

When Marsh is released, his cancer hibernation over, he will emerge to the earth's rebirth, and, in many ways, to his own as well.

And that kind of green really counts the most.

--c.