I rang the bell!!!

I rang the bell!!! I stand in a long line of tradition of those who ring bells as an act of celebration, thanksgiving and making a joyful noise to God.

The ringing of bells dates back to the time the time before Christ. In ancient China, these were originally used for laborers to play after their work in the fields had ceased. These bells were used as a way to relax and bring joy to the end of a hard day’s work.

In Biblical times, bells were sown on the bottom of the vestment of Priests. You might recall that the Priest who entered the “holy of holies,” the place where the Ark of the Covenant resided in the temple, wore bells on the bottom of his vestments as a signal to alert those on the outside that the Priest was still alive. If the bells stopped ringing, they could literally pull the priest out by a rope tied around his waist.

The ringing of bells as a sign of celebration has a long history. In the book of Psalms, bells are used as a way to make a joyful noise to the Lord. In about the 5th century bells began to be used to summon monks to worship. This tradition has continued throughout the centuries as we still find bells being rung on Sunday mornings summing God’s people to worship.
During World War I, the bells were silenced for two years and did not ring again until the celebration of the Armistice.

For those of us who go through a series of chemo-therapy, bell ringing takes on a very special form of celebration – a bell is rung signaling a celebration – this series of chemo is over!

The tradition began at MD Anderson and continues in many infusion centers throughout the country and I suspect around the world. The Methodist Hospital Infusion Center carries on this tradition.

On my first day of chemo, just as I was finishing, I heard the sound of a loud, ringing bell and the cheers and applause echoing through the halls. “What is that?” I asked the nurse. Smiling, she told me, “Someone’s just completed their last round of chemo, when that happens we have a celebration and you ring the bell. When you finish, you too will ring the bell.”

Emotions run high when you are going through chemo. Those words spoken by my words brought tears to my eyes. Tears of thanksgiving for the one who had completed the chemo, tears of hope that I too would be able to ring the bell, and tears of acknowledgment of the reality of the journey that was before me.

It has been a journey. There have been ups and downs but through it all I have been surrounded by the love and encouragement of friends and family and many that I do not know that have prayed for me. I’ve met so many who have walked this journey before me who have been my inspiration.

On Thursday, Maundy Thursday, the day that Jesus met with his friends in the Upper Room and shared what we call today the “Last Supper” I finished this round of chemo. Jesus reminded those that surrounding him that while the journey as they knew it was coming to the end, there was “more” ahead. A more that changed the way we look at both life and death. Hope for the present and hope for the future became a reality.

As my wonderful nurse, Beverly, gently and loving pulled the needle out of my arm and wrapped a bandage around my arm she said, “this is it, let’s walk down the hall. It’s your turn to ring the bell, it’s your turn to celebrate and bring hope to others.”

As many of you know, I hate to cry. But, as I rose out of my chair and began the walk down the hall, tears flowed freely and unexpectedly. I was not prepared for the emotions that both filled me and overwhelmed me.

Beverly was the town crier, as we walked down the hall, she announced, “It’s time for celebration, someone’s finished, we’re ringing the bell. Come and join us.” And as we arrived at the spot where the bell was, I was surrounded by nurses and staff who have been with me on the journey. Loving me and gently taking care of me.

I was surrounded by family as well, my husband, Chuck was at my side and our youngest son, Kirk. But truly I was surrounded by all of my family who have been so supportive since the news arrived that I had ovarian cancer and family, friends, the church…the list goes on and on.

I read the words inscribed on a beautiful cross stitched hanging:

Ring this bell
three times well.
It’s toll to clearly say
My treatment’s done,
this course is run,
and I’m on my way.

I rang the bell, loud and clear. Cheers and applause filled the air. My treatment’s done and I’m on my way…new life and resurrection await me.

Round 4 of Chemo - How it went

We're home. All in all it was a good day. Lots of folks at the infusion Center today. They took us to a back section, not normally used for infusion. They let us have a room with a window that had an amazing view. But that room did not have a reclining it had a stretcher instead - which I was not so sure about at first. It turned it was more comfortable than the reclining chair. By the afternoon we were the only ones there so it was very quiet.

We started off a bit rocky, my veins did not want to cooperate. The first one we started with ended up failing and we had to stop the anti nausea drip. Finding a new vein that would work was a bit of an adventure. First they tried a vein in my hand, then went to the other arm and the first vein there did not work. Then the nurse called in another nurse who, thank heavens was successful. I call it rolling veins she said my veins we're "running"... great imagery!!! I thinking my veins are ready for the poking and prodding to stop.

Chuck and I are settled in for the evening. He's cooking and we'll watch Midnight in Paris later. I'll go get that shot for my white blood count at 8am - no sleeping in for me, rats!!

Day before Round 4 - February 24, 2012

My white blood count (with the help of the shot I had after the last round) decided to cooperate so tomorrow I will have the fourth round of chemo. The count was up to normal levels - 6300 which was great news. I'll have that same shot on Saturday to help those cells continue to multiply. The side effects were not bad and I'm hoping I will have the same experience this time.

All seems to be going well, Dr. Tung is pleased that I seem to be tolerating everything so well. Plus, the CA 125 levels remain low - this time they were just 5, which is practically nonexistent. (this test is my marker for ovarian cancer, my presurgery level was 69) I still am feeling good. I did experience several days of pretty severe tiredness after the last round, we'll see if that continues this time...but I can't complain as I've never really felt bad.

I'm hoping that a late night tonight will allow me to sleep some tomorrow - but I'm not counting on that. I downloaded a new book to read and I've got some other things that will keep me busy.

Thank you for your continued prayers, support and encouragement. After tomorrow I will be two thirds done!

Round 2
…and the steroids win

The first round of chemo went very smoothly, I was so impressed by the staff at Methodist. We met with the welcome team, a nutritionist, the “Look good, feel good” representative, not to mention the chaplain, who is my good friend Sandy Londa and the nurse. It was a busy day and even with Benadryl I was awake most of the time we were there.
So, I promised myself, round two, I would sleep for a majority of the time. Before the chemo begins, they give you a variety of medicines to ensure that you won’t have an allergic reaction and to keep the nausea at bay. I was ready for the Benadryl this time, ready for the “whoosh” of sleepiness that comes when they inject it in the IV. Ready to sleep. Or so I thought. As the nurse injects the Benadryl, I immediately feel the woozy, peaceful, sleepy rush, but we don’t stop there. She immediately follows that thought of sleep with the steroids; those pesky meds that make you jumpy and keep you up.
I leaned back and tried to sleep – no luck, my eyes just kept popping. As the day progressed, I became more and more awake. I thought about Jesus’ words, as he told the parable of the ten bridesmaids: “keep awake for you do not know neither the day nor the hour.” All ten of the bridesmaids slept but some had come prepared with extra oil in their lamps.
I emailed my colleagues, I emailed my friends, I read my book and finished it, I looked for things to do. I got up and walked the halls, pulling my bags of chemo with me. Everyone else was sound asleep in their rooms, quietly letting the chemo do its work. Except me. The nurses asked where I was going. “Just walking,” I said, “I can’t sit still.” As I walked, I prayed quietly for each person’s room I passed, praying for strength and healing and health.
I also thought about those bridesmaids and how they would have liked me. While they slept, I could have gone into to town, bought the oil, filled the flasks and trimmed the wicks. Of course, that’s not what the parable of the ten bridesmaids is about. Jesus is reminding each of us to fill our hearts and minds with his love and grace. Maybe that’s just what I need to do when the steroids win!