Alright! I'm feeling fine, except for a little tingling in both hands.
Here's how it went:
We got there (doctor's office) at about 8:20 am. We got several chairs to choose from, as we were the second chemo patient there. Plus the other guy was just wrapping his up. (There are six chairs) Mary was my chemo nurse today and she hooked me up to my pole :)
- Saline drip first (it will be the mode of transport for my pre-meds)
- Then Kytril (antinauseant)
- Next up: Benadryl (preemptive strike on allergic reaction..my skin has become very sensitive and I get rashes quite easily these days...I am battling one now)
- A side order of Tagamet (for acid reflux. I was explaining to Kathleen how the antinauseant I was taking [Prilosec OTC] was working out for me: it brings me to the point of anticipating vomiting, needing to vomit, WANTING to vomit..then she finished my sentence:"Can't get no satisfaction?" Amen, sister. Thus, IV drip now includes Tagamet. Bless you, Kathleen.
- For final pre-med: Decadron (steroid)
Then we start the cancer treatment!
- Taxol in a lovely Camphor sauce (for killing cancer!)
Finally for dessert:
- A shot of Neulasta (white blood cell booster) OUCH!
- A bit of Heparin to keep my port from clotting up.
That's it. Four and a half hours. Whew! That is a long morning.
Mary is very nice. I don't have a picture of Mary, but I intend to take one of her in the next couple of weeks. And
Cindy, too! And
Gwennie-Gwen-Gwen. And Judy, and Jennifer, and Summer.
Fridays the doctor's office is not as crowded as Thursdays , but it works better for Mark if we continue on Thursdays instead of Fridays. Thursdays it is!
It seemed like the chemo took forever! Funny thing...I started to feel woozy after the Benadryl...really woozy. I told Mary about it and she explained it was probably the Benadryl. It felt like I was under the influence of alcohol, actually. Pretty weird. I don't like that feeling. However it did help me take a nice nap..which helped the time go by :D
Dr. Sherman visited Mark and me in the infusion room (that's where the recliners are and where I get my chemotherapy) and told me he was going to request a test on my cancer tissue for the
HER2/neu thingy.
That's how the morning went. The rest of the day has been uneventful....except I had a lot of fun (as usual) watching
Judge Millian and
Judge Judy have their way for a couple of hours. Took a nap. Watched the A's lose to Indians as long as I could, and had a nice visit with my Auntie Josie and Uncle Luis.
Oh yes, and I took my
Coumadin tonight, too. That is quite a lot of medicine today. I like that I didn't have to take much in tablet form...most of them were in my IV.
Have a good weekend...be safe!
Love,
Deirdre
1 comment:
Hope you are feeling okay. You got one Taxol down and you did great! One thing I missed doing, though, was giving you your Neulasta! :)It's almost midnight and my two boys are still very awake so I had the chance to read your entire blog...you are truly an inspiration to me. I have a strong family history of cancer (mom, sister, brother) and I know the importance of great support and a good attitute. I can tell you have great support from your family and your Mark...and your attitude is awesome. (Remember, it's ok to cry!) Hang in there! Smiles and Aloha, the best shot giver in the world, Cindy
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