Hi Ho, Hi Ho...Off to Chemo We Go

Tomorrow Jacob and I head back to the hospital for a 4 day in-patient chemo round. This time around he will be getting Cyclophosphamide, Etoposide, and Carboplatin. He hasn't had these three drugs yet so I pray that his body handles them well. The Carboplatin can hit the cell counts pretty hard and it takes much longer for them to rebound afterwards, compared with his other chemo drugs.

Today finds me trying to get the house ready for a four day leave. Catching up on laundry, picking up, and trying to get a bit organized. I still need to pack our bags and am just waiting for that laundry to get done to do so. Ben will be home with Becca and Joe, who do pretty well with their mommy and brother gone, even though I have never been away from them overnight before Jacob was diagnosed with cancer.

I am prepared this time for food. I went to the grocery store last night and stocked up on microwaveable soup bowls, Hormel Complete meals, and breakfast bars. The food in the cafeteria is not only crazy expensive but also greasy and gross. Not that the Hormel Completes are a whole lot better, but at least the price is! I can round out my meals with a salad from the cafe.

This time around Jacob will not have to be stuck in bed healing from a major incision to his abdomen. If he is feeling okay we can load him into a wheelchair and push his IV pole alongside and tour the hospital. Jacob loves looking around in the gift shop and loves to stop at the piano in the lobby that plays music by itself (he loves to watch the keys move and tells me it is a ghost playing). There is a playroom on the Child's ward that he likes to play in and often times there are activities for the kids to do together. He is looking forward to going to the hospital library and checking out books and movies. If possible, I will be checking out a laptop from the library and will update from the hospital.