In another life...

I have this theory. It came to me as I drove Jim to Cracker Barrel Saturday for breakfast. It's about Jim's chemotherapy success. If my theory is correct, maybe I should quit teaching and go back to school to become a doctor. Or, maybe I was one in another life. Anyway, before Jim got sick, he never took medicine. He wouldn't even take Advil or Tylenol for a headache. He'd just wait it out...not that he had very many headaches. The only drug he took was his "chill" pill (Celexa).

So, when he had his first round of chemotherapy, the drugs were extremely successful. Jim did not even take his chill pill. After 7 treatments, the cancer had really begun to shrink. After the 12th treatment, the tumors could be counted (4 as opposed to numerous), but were not small enough.

Second round of chemotherapy with a different concoction. After treatment #7 (really #19), there is no evidence of cancer anywhere else in his body, and the 4 tumors have not increased, but they have not shrunk either. And, throughout this whole ordeal, our oncologist has been amazed that Jim's liver has never shown any signs of distress. It must be one heck of an organ!

Here's my theory: Since Jim's liver is working so well, and since the first treatment was with very few "extra" drugs, the liver was able to devote its whole efforts to the chemotherapy. Over the next few months, because Jim had to take anti-nausea medicine, extra steroids, and nerve relaxants to withstand the chemotherapy effects, the liver had to devote some of its power to process those drugs, making the chemotherapy not as effective. The fact that it is keeping the cancer contained, and not letting it grow or multiply is positive. It is just taking longer to do its job.

I'm not sure why this idea came to me; it might could even be proved incorrect, but it makes Jim and I feel better about the process. So, we'll hold onto it for a while.