Cancer - Part 9 (Dread)

During these weeks, there was another necessary evil Mike had to endure. Two times during the week, I had to give Mike injections called Neupogen. It is a bone marrow stimulant. Before the second chemo treatment, Mike’s blood work showed that his white counts were too low to administer chemo. The numbers had to be at a certain level, and if it got too low, he would be very sick and could possibly need a blood transfusion or platelets. I was given the choice whether I wanted to learn how to do the injections or whether Mike would do them himself. I thought how difficult it would be to give yourself an injection, so I decided that I would learn. I felt that this was a practical way that I could help, a tangible thing I could do for my husband. So, I was trained to administer these injections. Talk about doing something you thought you could never do. It’s interesting how God gives you strength when you need it most. Every morning as I laid the supplies on the table, the girls gathered around to watch. They found this very intriguing. I wanted them to be part of as much of this experience as possible.

The Neupogen caused his bone marrow to work overtime, and caused Mike a lot of pain and discomfort, specifically his large bones (sternum, hip, and spine). For 24 hours, his bones ached. He walked and felt like an old man, and couldn’t get comfortable. He took a lot of T3’s to try to dull the ache. Nothing worked, and he learned just to wait it out. So, even during the better weeks, we still were not free of the affects of cancer. Again, we counted our blessings that Mike had great insurance, since one small dose of Neupogen costs $300. Another heart.