Once we get to the clinic, I start with the lab.  They “plug” into my port, take a few vials of blood, and prep it for chemo.  It only takes a few minutes and isn’t painful at all.  Just a small pinch is all.  After that, we go head to the Oncologist.  Thankfully, all my appointments are in the same clinic building.  He is so good to get us in promptly so we don’t have to wait too long.  This isn’t a formal appointment at all.  We just have a conversation about how last week’s treatment went and any new side effects I am experiencing.  I really appreciate this constant communication with him and feel well taken care of.  

We then usually have a bit of time (one to two hours) for them to process my labs before chemo.  (They use info from my labs to make a custom batch of chemo each week.)  We found the cutests little cafe a few blocks from the clinic and it soon became our regular spot on treatment days.  If you are in Tulsa, check out the Wildflower Cafe just under the iconic MeadowGold sign.  It is adorably decorated in vintage flower stitchwork.  It is hippie and vintage–totally my vibe!  The food is so yummy and they have great vegetarian options too.  The waitstaff there is so sweet too.  It is just a delightful spot to have a nice meal before treatment.

Then it’s time for the poison!  Oh I mean treatment.  The nurses have all been so sweet.  Treatment takes 3-4 hours depending on what I am receiving that day.  I sleep off and on through all of it and Paul kind of enjoys the quiet to get some work done without being bothered.

The rest of my day is me doing NOTHING.  Chemo wipes me out.  I am exhausted and honestly, a bit yellowish/green after treatment.  But oddly- I am usually really hungry that evening so we have started using DoorDash or having a friend pick up something for us that evening.

The rest of the week goes like this:

Wednesday: I am pretty much a sloth or a slug today.  I usually stay in pj’s all day and stay in bed or on the couch.  I can sometimes get some work done on my laptop, but honestly I just veg out on Wednesdays. 

Thursday: Thankfully I usually have a spurt of energy Thursday mornings and try to knock out some work.  After lunch-I’m zapped and nap for a bit.  Sometimes I can get a little more work done in the afternoon.

Friday: It’s typically a slower day for me.  We haven’t figured out if it’s because I do too much on Thursdays or if it’s just the cycle of how things go.

Saturday: It’s the upswing!  I start to feel more like myself but still need my early afternoon nap.

Sunday: Even better.  I typically feel “normal” but still need that nap.

Monday: I am ME again.  It’s my best day of the week.  I try to get some laundry done, get the house picked up, and run any errands that I need on this day.

Then we do this all again.

And because I know I have an AWESOME and supportive community, and I know so many of you will feel helpless in this fight of mine, these are ways to you can help us:

1. I have been blown away by your generosity with my Amazon list.  I have added a few items that would be helpful.  You will see the link below for my list.
2. I know many of you have been asking how to help financially.  If you feel led to donate financially to help with medical bills, you can do that via venmo to @Jami-Sullins or CashApp to $JamiSullins.
3. If you would prefer to donate a gift card, these would be most helpful: DoorDash (we have found a few places within my diet), Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmers Market, WalMart.

Please understand, we are not asking for you to spend any money, but I also know that many of you have the Lord’s gifts of hospitality and caregiving, so I wanted to provide ways you could help.