Chemo

We have decided to move ahead with Chemotherapy and I start on Monday, March 9th. Yes, that's next week. I figure the sooner I get going with this next phase, the sooner I will be done. I will have 4 treatments, 3 weeks apart. For those of you who don't know the details... it takes about 3 hours for a chemo treatment. First they put in an IV line. Anti-nausea medicine drips in for a while, then the "cocktail" of chemotherapy slowly drips in. The "cocktail" differs depending on the type of cancer that you have and can change for different types of breast cancer. This takes place at an "infusion center". There is one at the Cancer building on the south side of Sutter Hospital. But there is a new center at the building at 29 and K. I was lucky to get into the new one for all of my appointments. March 9th, March 30, April 20 and the finale on May 11. In between they give you more anti-nausea meds in pill form should you need it, antibiotics (as a precaution since your immune system is so low) and then you have to have your blood drawn to make sure that your white blood counts are back up again before you start the next round. I may not have this exactly right... but you get the idea. 

I was really starting to feel like I had made some big improvements in my recovery. I have been for longer walks... 40 minutes on the levee and then 2 30 minute walks. I can manage some light household chores. Emptying and loading the dishwasher, doing laundry and I can make the coffee again. I never thought it would be so exciting to be able to do these chores which I normally get so sick of doing. So big improvements and now they are going to make me feel really crappy again. Actually, I know they have come along way with chemo improvements. My new nurse in the oncology office said that "I don't want to mislead you and tell you chemo is going to be a walk in the park... but it really is much better than it used to be". Most don't feel the terrible nausea. If it is bad the first round then they tweek the medication during round two. I have been told that you will definitely feel very fatigued and try to schedule afternoon naps. But other than that they tell you to try to keep up some form of exercise and do as much as your normal routine as possible.

I, of course, am hoping for the best... because that's how I am. But I keep waking up in the middle of the night, anxious, angry and sad. All normal reactions to this wild ride I am on.