Adventure Day One – Looks Can be Deceiving
May 30, 2008 –You can’t judge a book by its cover, and you can’t tell the effect of chemotherapy just after five days. The whole idea of chemotherapy is to kill the bad cells, and in the process good cells get killed as well. Rickey’s outer appearance was unchanged, people could not believe he was even sick – his positive attitude and his ability to stay focused on getting through the adventure and back home helped in his attempt to mask the effects happening on the inside.
How many people do you know masking the pain that is happening on the inside?
Rickey writes: October 18, 2002 10:08 AM
ADVENTURE - Day 5 A quick note - day four went slow. I was sleepy and stayed in bed until 10 a.m. The day before they installed a PIC in my vein to use permanently for my 2 months here so IVs and blood can be given and taken. I had a fever last night so I’m on anti-biotic this morning - still feeling good though. I have received phone calls from my brother Bubbie, my sister Judy and my son Keith (twice) since I’ve been in. Today should be a normal day. We stopped the Idarubacin on Wednesday and continue the other drug through the weekend.
I miss everyone and can’t wait to break out of here. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers, I need them.
Love, Rick
Tag team email-this is PJ:
Rickey has been an outstanding patient; everyone is very pleased with how well he is doing. We are past the first three days of the “Red Stuff”, and now just finish up the regular chemo.
His spirits are high, and his appetite is strong. The nurses said this morning that they can tell by his blood counts that the chemo is starting to work and that is a good sign.
Saturday we were planning the head shaving party, but since he has not had any side effects yet from the chemo, he opted to get a corpsman to shave it next week. Which takes me off the hook…not that I couldn’t do it, just can’t be sure what it would look like after I was done.
I am at the house for a few hours and then back to spend the night. I have slept over (at the hospital) both Wednesday and Thursday and get to be there when he needs help in the middle of the night, just a little extra TLC. Everyone that comes into the room cannot believe that Rickey is really sick, he still looks go good. They also comment on him having the best set-up in the hospital…TV/VCR, stereo, cherry side table with a lamp from home, and an eagles litho on the wall I gave him from years ago…”Soaring High”…it helps him focus on being higher than the eagles and flying away from all of this.
Thank you all for all your continued support and prayers.
PJ
It is important to pay attention to people around us, not just those closest in proximity. We are all connected and we have the responsibility to look past those “high spirits” to see what is really happening in the lives of our parents, our children, our brothers and sisters, and in our neighbors. Our natural defense mechanisms to hide the real pain that we are experiencing can be strong at times–look past the cover - reach out –looks can be deceiving.
Until our next blog – remember life is an adventure, embrace the journey. You can make a difference one day at a time.
Share your adventure with us!
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