Sean was outfitted with his chemo pump yesterday and we have been spending the rest of our time sleeping and resting at the hotel. Sean has been doing ok since we left Mayo. He has been very tired but in good spirits. The pre-med cocktail (anti-nausea & pain) is suppose to stay with Sean until around day 5 of the treatment. That allows us to get through this pump treatment and get Sean home and comfortable before the major symptoms take hold.

If anyone was wondering about Sean’s chemo pump, basically it is a portable IV unit that fits inside a small fanny pack. The device is pumping 42 hours of continuous radiation into Sean’s body. The chemo pump is attached to Sean’s port and he is able to move about freely. The one drawback of the pump is it cannot get wet. So no showers at the hotel. Not really a big deal for Sean because he has had no desire to do much of anything except look at the back of his eyelids.

We didn’t do much during these two days. Mostly just Sean sleeping. I, on the other hand, didn’t get a lot of rest because I was worried about the nuclear plant wrapped around Sean’s waist. Why was I so worried you ask? Well, while Sean was sleeping at Mayo during his main chemo treatment, I was watching a quite informative video all about the chemo pump. All about the things you can do. All the things you can’t do. And then…I had to watch how to clean up a radiation spill. Excuse me? Oh yes, the pump could possibly leak radiation and it is my job to clean it up if it does leak. At that moment I went from lazy watching to full attention. The video informed me that spills rarely happen. The video said “less than 1%”. For most people, they probably would have tuned out but not me. I was more alert now than ever. You see, Sean and I are what we like to refer to as the “one percenters”. If there is a chance of something happening, it will most likely happen to us. We have hundreds of stories of random things happening to us and I knew that I needed to pay attention to this video, just in case something bad happened. So now, back in the hotel room, I am lying next to Sean listening to this little Chernobyl pump so steadily, ready to pounce with my radiation suit, spill papers and gloves. I swear every little sound I heard, I had my ear pressed against that little machine to make sure it was still running properly. (Side note: nothing happened during these 2 days. Maybe next cycle I won’t panic as much)

The remaining 40 hours or so were pretty boring and uneventful. Sleep, eat, sleep. Repeat.

We went back to Mayo on Day 3 of the cycle. The pump was removed and Sean was given a few more meds intravenously and we were sent home. We didn’t have any problems with the pump (see you in 2 weeks Lil Chernobyl. Insert crooked eye look) and the first chemo cycle is in the books. Time to head back to Orlando and let Sean’s body rest until round 2.

First Cycle Chemotherapy Thoughts:

So far, Sean has held up well with chemotherapy. The treatment wasn’t as bad as we first thought. I was happy that there was a cocktail of meds that helped Sean through the difficult parts. I am worried about this upcoming week. I’m worried about the pain Sean will be facing. I’m worried about Sean not being able to eat. I’m worried about the nausea, the insomnia and everything else we have been told might be a side effect. We have experienced half the battle of this chemo cycle. There are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to the second half. Being at home is great for a lot of things but we have no idea what this next week will bring. Only time will tell. For now, Sean is laughing, telling jokes and smiling. That’s a win for this week! ♥️

Want to help?

Want to help Sean fight stage four pancreatic cancer? We have a GoFundMe campaign, here is the link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/seanandstefstrong

If you are interested in donating via Paypal, here is the link for that: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/seanandstefirl

Want to help my battle and also get some cool swag? Support the #seanandstefstrong movement and rock one of these cool shirts, hoodies, pillows, blankets, phone cases and more:

https://teespring.com/stores/sean-and-stef

Want to send a gift, card or letter? Thank you! Here is our mailing address:

Sean and Stefanie Mullen
P.O. Box 770335
Winter Garden, FL 34777

Thank You!

Thank you to all of the Youtube creators and fans and friends from around the world who have sent messages, shared our journey and donated to the fight. THANK YOU to everyone in our lives. We will beat this thanks to your love and support!