Round Two and a Therapy Dog

Chemo Wrap Round Two!!  

Today, Jim saw the nurse to have his chemo wrap removed and reapplied.  According to him, the best part was being able to finally scrub his hand after a very long week.  The nurse said his hand responded well to the chemo and looked good for this part of the process.  

Over the week, Jim had taken off the outer medical wrap (the part that looked like an ace bandage mitten), leaving the plaster type wrapping underneath.  The mitten limited Jim's movement, causing his hand to ache and his knuckles to hurt.  He found being able to move more greatly helped with that discomfort.  

Unfortunately, the bare plaster needed something to protect it once the wrap was removed. So, Jim got creative!  He covered the plaster in 3-4 white cotton gloves to protect the plaster.  The stark white hand really drew a lot of attention and unfortunately wasn't able to contain all of the leaks from the cream.  Jim added a black sport glove over the other gloves to address the problem.  The black glove blends way better with life and also contains the drips.  With 4-5 gloves on his hand, it is surprising all the things he can still do - write, work, carry things, flip off a mouthy spouse :) .... just don't ask him to snap his fingers.   Luckily, the multiple glove approach received the nurse's seal of approval and was reapplied over the fresh layer of cream and plaster.

Jim's right hand after one week of chemo cream 10/8/14.

Jim's right hand after one week of chemo cream 10/8/14.
The blue marks on Jim's index finger were from the circle the doctor drew around a cancerous spot.

So, with his big, fat gloved hand, Jim is enduring a lot of teasing!  We are trying to figure out if he is more Chubbs or more Darth Vader.  He does do a mean re-enactment of Darth's force choke: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-NvFIK_beQ  

I have heard him grumble, "You have failed me for the last time," more times than I care to count.  Well, at least there is a little levity with all of this!

As for side effects, earlier this week, Jim experienced some itching and burning sensations.  Those feelings quickly intensified after the new chemo wrap was applied to the raw skin today.  He seems to be handling it well, but we are nervous for the weeks to come as his hand will probably be more tender each time.  The spots the doctor considered operating on last week are definitely sore and noticeable.  Jim also has had a mild bout of nausea.  Nothing earth shattering, but a little uncomfortable.  We were told that can happen with topical chemo.  As luck (or fate or whatever!) would have it, we have the inside track to some great tips for dealing with chemo belly.  Thank you to our dear friend, Erin, for the care package and tips!  

On the happy side of life, our family grew by one four legged critter.  We now have a darling golden doodle puppy sharing our little home.  After months of planning, we were finally able to bring home our sweet girl, Alice, last Saturday.  She has brought so many smiles and so much joy to all of us already.   She really is the best therapy out there!  

Alice Leighty 10/8/14.  Almost 8 weeks old.

Jim and Alice.