Betty’s Week

Betty’s Week
By Betty Shearer

Jim and I are working on Good Friday. He has papers to grade and I feel good – may not on Monday.
I received my second round chemo on Thursday and it went well, even though they would not let Jimmie stay with me. She had to freeze in the waiting room, while I sat in a comfortable recliner, wrapped in warm blankets and supplied with delicious snacks.
When I learned that Jimmie could not stay with me, I sort of felt alone. Didn’t last long though, as a fellow Vallian had greeted us – wearing a mask. When she slipped down her mask, the lovely face of long-time friend Sue Hardy appeared. She was with me during the whole procedure, supplying my every need.
Sue works in the chemo area and her regular day is Tuesday, but she had swapped with another worker – we do know God takes care of us. The chemo patient care was low on Thursday, so I had Sue almost to myself. It was a wonderful day for us to catch up on our families and just life in general. Thanks Sue, for being such a great friend through the years, and for taking such good care of me on Thursday.
Friday morning I felt almost normal, ate a great breakfast that I actually cooked. Both Jimmie and Jim are wonderful cooks (actually better than me and have been feeding me excellent food, but there is just something about being in the kitchen). I do enjoy cooking, as you readers know. Had my favorite – sausage, biscuit, redeye gravy and eggs over medium, with a Diet Coke.
Am happy to say that with my treatments there has still been no nausea, one of the things I was most dreading as a side effect. The worst side effects from the first round were low energy and on days three and four, muscle and bone aches. Maybe these will not be as bad on rounds two and three, as some pain meds can be used that we missed on the first round.
Am beginning to lose my hair – wig has been ordered – and that is really the lesser of all the side effects, I can live without hair and it does not hurt coming out. It is a little messy – have hair all over the house, but I just let it fall where it will—I want to keep it as long as possible.
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It’s hard to believe that Sunday will be Easter and for the first time in over 60 years, (if memory serves me right) I will not be in church. Jim was born on the Sunday after Easter (April 5, Easter came early that year). Mom had made me a new Easter frock and I finally got to wear it on April 12 of 1964. This year we’ll get to celebrate his birthday together for the first time in many years.
I so glad to have him here, but wish it was a normal year and he’d be playing special services in his home area. It is wonderful to have a child that drops everything and comes to care for you in a crisis situation. God just blessed with one child, but he sure gave Ed and me a very special one. Jim was also blessed to find us a great daughter, whom we love as a child. We’re going to have a happy birthday—just wish Celeste could be with us.
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It’s been so much fun sitting at my computer and telling you what’s going on during my week. If I don’t feel well enough to complete it, Jim will bring you up-to-date on weekend happenings.
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Monday’s report: On Easter Sunday things did not go quite as planned. I got a bit unstable getting out of bed and took a little fall. I had some very minor injuries to my left elbow, shoulder, and knee; but I had some bruising I couldn’t account for. Turns out it was from shots I had gotten earlier in the week to resolve my blood clots, but I didn’t learn that until yet another return trip to the Oxford Baptist Hospital’s emergency room. As always, folks there couldn’t have been nicer, and the doctor I saw quickly figured out what was going on. We did a few X-rays to be safe, but it’s all just bumps and bruises. Nothing serious to worry about, other than some of the drugs I’m taking are messing with my stability just a bit. Have to learn to move a little slower and with more deliberation than I’m used to.
I’m feeling a bit week and sometimes a little dizzy-headed, but I know with the kind of treatments I’m taking it could be a whole lot worse.
We were discharged from the ER and still made it over to Jimmie’s to cover the afternoon shift for a very late lunch/early dinner with a good Easter ham and all the trimmings. Most of the family gathered, which has been a real blessing coming off a year of mostly total isolation.
Woodland Hills Baptist Church will have its first revival with our new pastor, Brother Rob Jones. It starts Sunday, April 11, and runs through Wednesday, April 14. We’ll have Dr. Ronald Meeks, Department Head for Biblical Studies at Blue Mountain College leading the worship, joined by a revolving group of music directors for each service. I hate that I’m going to have to miss these very special events, but I hope the revival proves a great blessing for all who can attend.