Getting Sick



Back row (L -R) My dad, mom, aunt Charlene, uncle Jack
Front (L-R) My mom's dad & mom, Ed and Peggy Regan, I'm on lap next to cousin Jolene and her mom's parents, Mary and Wally Stevens.  My mom is only 22.   I think it is a great picture of her. That smile describes her in a lot of ways.

 As a kid you know what it is like to be sick.  Getting a cold or the flu comes with a feeling and your body reacts to the illness making you feel bad.  With cancer I never felt sick, everything was fine, then all of a sudden I can't urinate. I spent a week in the hospital getting every area of my body scanned looking for more of this terrible disease, but never felt sick.  Chemotherapy makes you sick!

Sunday, January 18th was day two of chemotherapy.  At this point I wasn't nauseous, still had energy, and just wanted to go home.  After today though, the two year flu set up shop and I began to suffer.  My schedule of chemotherapy was five days on and three weeks off.  By the time I would reach the third week off I would be feeling good, eating okay, and have enough energy to participate in school.  It was frustrating to begin to feel healthy and then go right back into another week of chemo.

1975

March 1977 with the addition of my brother Tim. He is 5 months, I would turn 4 in May.  I wish I still had those pants.

1979.  I'm 6 and a year and half away from getting sick, Tim 3.
Maybe a little overdressed compared to the rest?  All business I guess....

The second day was always the worst, as it would bring a lot of vomiting.  The symptoms would remain for weeks.  Usually I would begin day two of chemo feeling okay, get my treatment, and within a couple hours, throw up three to four times every hour.  Back in 1981 anti-nausea medicine had not really made it to market.  I had nothing at the beginning to help fight the nausea.

I started 1981 weighing around 63 pounds.  During the first year of treatment I would shed 20 pounds, over 30% of my body weight.  It is a diet plan I don't recommend.

Jan. 18 Cytoxan/Dactinomycin