Chemo #1

I am done with my first round of chemotherapy. I was the "New Patient" that day so got a lot of attention at first. The appointment was for noon on Monday but due to a respiratory emergency with another patient we didn't start until about 1:45pm. A bit late and we were hungry, waiting to get settled until we started eating the yummy lunch my friend Casey picked up for us. You get your own little area with a curtain for privacy, tv and extra chairs for visitors. Once they got me hooked up with the IV the fun began. First I got an anti-nausea drip for a while, followed by benadryl and tagamet. There may have been something else in there too. This is all to help you tolerate the poison that drips in next. When the nurse comes to connect the chemo drip he put on the hazardous materials suit. Really, not a joke, I have a photo to prove it. A mask, gown and special gloves. He certainly doesn't want to get this stuff on him. I actually could feel the chemo drug when it first entered my system and Casey told me I was turning beat red. But after a minute the sensation passed and the rest went fine. I am on two chemo drugs - Pactitaxel also called Taxol and Cyclophosphamide also called Cytoxan. I had heard about the dreaded "red" chemo drug but thankfully I don't have to have that one. I have a case manager, Heidi, another wonderful medical professional who came to visit with me. She reviewed all the drugs I am taking (I have a basket full at this point) and all the potential side effects from chemotherapy. She kept telling me that the benadryl would make me fall asleep and snickered at the Scrabble game Casey brought along for us to play. That was almost a challenge to me so I made Casey get the game out. Thank god I convinced her that it wouldn't be fair to keep score... she graciously agreed. She is the Queen of Scrabble. It was unbelievable. I really have some work to do if I ever want to try to be a challenge to her. Mark was there for most of the time - he tried to get her to explain some of her Scrabble strategies and Laurie came for a visit. At some point during all this another visitor was helping his friend on a chemo drip to the restroom and the visitor had a heart attack. All hell broke loose. "Call 911", "Get the Oxygen", and they were using the paddles on this elderly man over and over again. Lots of the staff checked in on the rest of us to make sure we were not getting too freaked out. We were all convinced he didn't make it until Heidi called yesterday to see how I was and to tell me this man was doing well in the hospital. Don't even know the guy but what a relief. She also made sure to tell me that Monday was not a normal day at the infusion center, it's usually much calmer.

I was exhausted on Monday went I got home. Long day at the infusion center. The past two days my body has just been very tired and achy like a bad flu. My expanders hurt a lot for some reason. I didn't sleep at all the first night and not much better on Tuesday night due to some of the medications I am on. But so far the doctor 's preventative measures have kept me from spending the day next to the toilet. Lucky so far. It might change with each subsequent treatment. I watched "Breakfast at Tiffanys" today and I don't think I have ever seen that whole movie. That was a treat.