Chemo - Round One

Facebook post from September 27, 2010 at 12:18am
"Chemo. All the cool moms are doing it!
Feeling so very blessed for wonderful friends who will watch my kids, clean my house and feed my family during all this! I love you all!"

My first chemo treatment was Monday, September 27, 2010. I decided on Monday as my treatment day after learning that days 2-5 would probably be my worst, but that I would start feeling better after that. With 2 of my 3 kids in school all day, I wanted to try to have my worst days when they were out of the house at school, and hopefully be feeling better by the weekend when they were home. I was trying to minimize their exposure to what I knew was going to be a rough few months for us all.

I bought a pink duffel bag (very appropriate, right?) to bring to chemo each time, and in it I had my favorite green blanket, a book to read, and thank you cards that I was behind on. Michael accompanied me to the first treatment (I was only allowed to have one guest at a time in the infusion center). After a long wait in the waiting room (which unfortunately happened every time I had treatment), I met my nurse Kathy and we got started. I would get the Taxotere first, followed by the Adriamycin (which would be hand administered), and finally the Cytoxan. Along with beginning my premeds the day before (anti-nausea and a steroid to keep infection at bay), I had numbed the skin around my port with the Lidocane cream I was prescribed before arriving. I was shocked at how easy it was to hook me up to the IV and infusion pump – seriously straight out of a science fiction movie! After getting some IV fluids and taking more anti-nausea medication, I was all set to start the Taxotere. Kathy sat with me during the administration, as some patients can have a strong reaction to it. Fortunately, I handled it ok. But I had to pee so many times because of all the fluid! Thank goodness the infusion pump was on wheels.

Up next was the Adriamycin. Also known as the “Red Devil,” Kathy hand administered this drug to me from 2 large syringes. It was red, and it smelled gross. I was also asked to have something cold in my mouth while I was receiving the drug to keep from getting mouth sores, so Michael had gotten me a pina colada slushy from the machine in the patient snack room. My body handled this one ok as well, but on what seemed like my 100th trip to the restroom, I was greeted with the signature red urine in the toilet. It wasn’t blood, just the dye in the medicine. It made my pee look like strawberry lemonade!



The last drug was Cytoxan. I had some sinus pressure and discomfort during the administration, but it wasn’t too bad. I even slept for a little while.

Michael and I had lunch together that he brought in from the cafeteria. Although there was a TV at my station, we didn’t watch it. We just talked quietly and took it all in. It was suddenly all very real. Looking around the center, I was the youngest person there by at least 30 years.

My appointment was at 9:30 am, and we didn’t leave the infusion center until after 3pm. It was a long day and we were both exhausted and apprehensive about what the next few days would entail.

Facebook Post from September 27, 2010 at 5:53pm
Home from chemo and resting (or trying to!) Everything went great. Now we wait to see how my body takes it. But I have cleared Target out of all possible remedies, so I am prepared for anything!! Thank you all so much for the messages, texts, love and support. Check your boobies, girls!