Some Long Days Are Still Good Days: Treatment 2

Well, today was treatment number 2. That means 2 down and 4 to go. Today did not go exactly as we thought it would, but it was still a very good day. We arrived at the office of Dr. Patrick Murphy at Tennessee Oncology and were greeted in the waiting room by my friend Ken Davis. Now you gotta know that any day that starts with Ken is going to be a good day regardless of where it goes. He accompanied me to the lab, examination and infusion rooms. We had great conversation about his dad and his service to our nation in the Philippines. Ken has written some about this on his blog. We had some good laughs, and then Ken left like a little boy who had no clue where the door was. He did let me know later that he made it home.

Before I tell you about the rest of the day, let me just say what a pleasure it has been to be associated with Dr. Murphy and his dedicated staff. They go over the top to care for every patient. Their personalized care is amazing. I have never met a nicer group of medical professionals and would recommend them to anyone who might need their services.

Now to the long day - it really goes back to last week when I broke out with a skin rash that itched so bad I scratched like a cat for four days straight. Dr. Murphy decided that I needed to have a biopsy of the rash to make sure that we know what we are dealing with. So, I went straight from the oncologist to the dermatologist for an unexpected biopsy. Not too bad, just a few stitches at the skillful hands of Dr. Paul LaTour, and now we are just waiting for path report.

The chemo treatment lasted a bit longer than expected, and we also paused just before the Benadryl drip to do an interview with Harriet Vaughn from the Williamson A.M. They have also decided to follow the journey. It’s a good thing we did the interview first, because the lights went out pretty quickly with the Benadryl drip, but I’m looking forward to reading her story later this week.

Going Slick With Rick got picked up from NewsChannel 5 by CNN and HLN. I have heard from friends all across the nation that saw the clip. Thanks Steve Hayslip, (I think you had a hand in all this.) Let’s just pray that the story encourages some person who really needs it right now.

I also met a wonderful older couple today in treatment. She is a cancer survivor from 1966, and he is in treatment for bone cancer right now. Be sure and pray for Mr. Harris. They were people of great courage, hope and faith. It was a pleasure to meet them.

So how do I feel after treatment 2? Much better than I expected - I had really good energy all day today. Patti and I feel so blessed in this season of life. Prayer warriors are fighting the fight on my behalf. We feel absolutely surrounded by the goodness of our God. We are seeing grace sufficient for each day and each challenge. The love that has been directed toward us has only strengthened our belief in God’s church. There is no other institution in the world like it. We are dispensers of hope and love to men and women when we stand for the gospel of Christ. What a privilege He has given to us-to represent him in the world in which we live.

OK, so that’s about it for this very long, but good day. I will do labs on Wednesday morning and have my first progress CT scan on April 9, just prior to treatment 3 on April 12. So blessings and thanks to each of you walking the journey with us.

Rick