If you have any questions or want to correct any of my medical knowledge, please do so in a review. Most of the medical terms are things I know from personal experience. And if anyone knows for sure the correct way to spell portacath, please let me know.
Chapter 4
Jamie had gotten her central line put in. She had what they called a port-a-cath under her skin. It felt like a little bubble below her collar bone. She had had it put in the day before. It was only an out-patient surgery, but her father made her stay in bed and rest. She had been through three rounds of chemotherapy and she was feeling its toll. She lay in bed thinking about the months to come. The doctor had told her she would be on the treatment for anywhere from six months to a year. She couldn't do it for six months. She couldn't imagine doing it for one month. They were unsure if she would be going through radiation or not. She tried to convince herself that the chemotherapy would be enough. She did not want to go through radiation. She had heard too many things about radiation. Stories circulated around the oncology ward. The chemo was enough for Jamie. The first round hadn't been too bad. Her body was still strong and it fought the poison. But the second and third time hadn't been the same. The cancer was gaining power, and she could no longer fight the foreign drugs running through her veins. She had come home nauseated and not in the best of moods.
The following Monday, Jamie had to go in for another round. She was anything but thrilled about the appointment. She tried hard to keep her trust in Christ, but the cancer was breaking her spirits.
Her father had to leave her by herself at the hospital this week. He had church obligations to attend to. He had tried to find a way out of them, but Jamie insisted he fulfill his pastoral duties. She would not let him neglect the church on her account.
As she sat in her hospital bed, she thought about the events that had occurred within the last month of her life. She thought about high school. She had planned to go out for the spring musical. The choir instructor had asked her to sing the National Anthem at a football game. But now all of that was shattered. She was confined to a small white room, surrounded by disease and pain. She wanted out; she needed out.
Jamie unconsciously ran her fingers through her hair. Whenever she was nervous or upset she had the tendency to play with her brunette locks. As her fingers found the tips of her long strands, a clump of hair remained in her hand. She looked down at the bundle of hair in her hand. Tears began to pour down her white cheeks.
"It's not that bad. You get used to it." Jamie jumped in her bed. She looked around. She spotted Melanie sitting up in her hospital bed. She had almost forgotten she had had a roommate. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just saw you crying and…" The girl paused and looked at Jamie, "it's just I remember when I first began to lose my hair. It really sucked and I know how you feel."
"Thanks," Jamie responded as she tried to wipe away the tears. "Do you mind if I ask what you are in for?"
"No prob, in laymen's terms, a brain tumor. They discovered it when I started having mobility problems a little over a year ago."
"Mobility problems?" Jamie had a confused look on her face. Melanie pointed to a wheelchair sitting in the corner. Jamie had not noticed it before. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Thanks, but it's ok. I'm used to it and at least I don't have any other problems."
"Have you been going through this for a year?" Jamie inquired with a tone of horror.
"Well, first major surgery and then treatment."
"Are you almost done?"
"Not quite, but it's ok. I'm alive aren't I?"
"Wow! You're amazing. And I thought I had it bad."
"What do you have?" the girl questioned.
"Leukemia"
"Yuck, that sucks"
"Yeah, I'd say so," Jamie laughed. It was the first time she had laughed in several weeks.
"Hey," Melanie said, "that's what I want to hear. So how old are you?"
"Fourteen. I'm a freshman in high school."
"Awesome, I'm sixteen. I'm a junior."
"Cool," Jamie said with complete respect. She wanted to know what high school was really like. She only had a little over a month's worth of experience and probably wouldn't experience much more for quite some time. "What's it like? High School, I mean?"
"Gosh, I missed pretty much all of my sophomore year so all the experience I have is from my own freshman year."
"Well, that's more than I have," Jamie giggled. The two girls continued to talk until lunch was brought in. Jamie had found someone she could now confide in. Maybe the next several months would be somewhat bearable.