Chemo is complex!

Here I am getting started on round two. There are 13 bags on the towers to start, they added two more during treatment due to some complications!

I finished up yesterday and am feeling much better now than I was the day after the first round. Partly due to some different nausea meds and maybe knowing a bit of what to expect. Must admit there was some anxiety heading into that first round, even with all the meditation and calm I was surrounding myself with.

The first day we got to the hospital around 7 a.m. for labs, then to see my lovely doctor, who remembers us from my youngest!! She was with me for "the visit" when the decision was made to start treatment. This is one of the things he remembers about her and always laughs about them. Her toe shoes.




After all the labs and doctor visits and such, we got started around 11:30 with all the premeds, then on to the real stuff. The "R" that I get takes six hours to give as they start with a small dose and increase slowly to avoid side effects. The last time I reacted quite soon and all was shut down with meds given, then an hour later started up again. This time I went quite a bit longer before I reacted and the reaction was hives, mostly on the inside, except for my face, which was scary looking! But again, stopped the "R", gave the meds and an hour later started up again.

Because this was my second round and I "tolerated" all the meds the first round, we saved a day by doing the other two meds, "F" and "C" right after finishing up the "R". Those take about two hours because I have to have saline between as the drugs don't mix well! Frightening in a way, eh?

So we finished around 10:30 the first night, headed for our cozy loft in town and were back the next morning for part 2 of round 2 and the next morning for part 3. All without incident. I was extremely glad that my vein held up for three days, as the last time it was fine day three, but day four had to be redone. Getting stuck so many times kinda gets old, with labs and all. So I was very thankful for that little gift. It is such a relief when it is removed. Hard to sleep with the covering and movement making it pull.

I am sequestered again as especially my platelets are in a critically low range. I need to make a big chart to follow all the blood components they are keeping track of . . . maybe later. A bit tired, a bit nauseas, happy to have my "little one" here juicing and making smoothies for me and just being a little sunshine in my life. Nice of her to take her weekend to "babysit" me a bit. Hubby of coarse is my rock and patient caregiver. There he sits for HOURS watching as heaven knows what will happen to me next.

I am so thankful for

Prayers, as I am feeling them each and every day.
Family who continue to encourage and love me.
Friends who check in just to see how I am doing.
Cards that come in the mail. I should take a picture of them all lined up.
Doctors and meds
Soothing music.
God's love and mercy.
Healthy food and the desire to make it a priority.
My computer.
Smiling faces on pictures of my grandkids all around the house.
Indian summer and sunshine.
Life.