My first chemo treatment

I hope I can remember all this and not mess up my words. The meds I'm on right now are treating me really weird. So yesterday morning, I go to the cancer center in Vancouver. The reasearch nurse Becky met me there with my mom and was very calm and reassuring me, etc. She told me the leg of the trial I would be on would include the extra meds they are testing out. I won't pay for the extra stuff, but the just other regular normal chemo. I got weighed and my bp taken and then went into the treatment room.

It's a large room place with recliners shaped in an L shape around the perimeter of the wall and then two short rows of chairs in the middle facing away from each other. There was a big wall of windows and a large area for the nurses to work from For the patients there was a little kitchenette where people brought goodies and the staff had provided drinks of every kind and a microwave for coffee, tea, and soups. There were two tables with plenty of rooms for puzzles to help the time go by faster.

They got me in my chair and stuck me in the port area and ended up taking at least 6-7 different vials of blood for my labs. The worst part was the liticane they gave me to numb the port area. When they stuck the big needle in, I didn't feel a thing. So I immediately got a bag of saline and then a little while later some intravenous anti nausea meds. We thought it would take a very long time for everything, so Mom was able to leave and run some errands.

When I walked in that treatment room, I was nervous. But there was such warmth and love and kindness and understanding there. We were all there for a common purpose and so there was a type of comraderie among the patients though it was necessarily spoken outloud. One lady with a neat haircut came out of the bathroom while I was waiting for it and said I looked like it was my first day. It was. She said you can always tell. It was her second. Another lady I met was wonderful too. She had the most beautiful skin that I couldn't get over it. We three ladies managed to get chair in a triangular shape near each other and would talk once in a while. I turns out that one lady is going on Monday to the same program I am in Portland, Look Good, Feel Beter program where you get tips and help on how to wear makeup while in cancer treamtents and a big bag of goodies to take home. So it was nice to know I would see someone I recognised. So I kind of have two buddies that I will know for futher treatments when I go in. Tanya who's on her 2nd treatment and Donna who's on her 3rd. We all had a good time talking, or at least I did.

I got a foot massage! They had students from Ashmead college come and give all the patients massages if they liked. I didn't want anyone touching my neck and shoulders, but Daniel came and gave me a great foot massage will I waited for the meds to do their thing. I guess every Thursday they give pedicures and manicures too. I would so love a pedicure.

The nurses that did my stuff were great. I got saline first, then IV antinausea meds and that was in for awile. Then the "red devil" or A chemo and the C hemo went in. The A chemo they put in these big plastic syringe and it really did look like kool aid going in. But the nurse pushed it in and then the C chemo was dripped into my IV and that was that. Once that was over, I was done and on my way. I started getting a big of a buzz in my head like a too much sugar headache and that was it. A little shaky but otherwise okay.

Mom and I ended up going somewhere between appointments, but the thought is already gone. I hink we got dad some lunch at Burverville. Then I was back up to Dr. Gray's office and had my saline fill. I took some percoset before hand and it was a pice of cake. It hurt, but not terribly. I was doing so well that I thought I would take time to go to Wamart and get a couple of things. As soon as I got in there, I was in bad shape. I couldn't even push the cart well. So once I caught up with my mom, she had to take over. I bought a couple of things and then we went home. I was hot and clammy, nauseated, shaky, felt funky all over and a headache. The hot flash part seemed to last all afternoon and it seemed like I was on fire on the inside. It didn't have anything to do with the weather either.

Most of the evening was a blur. I mostly ate soda crackers and had sips of Walmart water. Everyone at home was real gentle to me so tha was nice because I just couldn't function for a while. Lindsey woke up in the night with some puking. She got a little wild over at Grandma's last night when Jason went to pick up Chloe. And it all came back to bit her in the bum once she went to bed. She spewed all over Jason and the couch and it just reeks.

Jason called me today and said he's sick. Chloe's already over at Grandma's house and it sounds like Chloe and Jason will spend the night there and Lindsey will come home with me.

I had a weird morning. My mom came and picked me up to go back to the doctor's for a shot. Something to do with my bone marrow. I guess it can make you really achy in your joints and stuff. On the way home, I was really drowsy and sort of hallucinating. I thought Chloe had curled up next to me and I was going to kiss her head. I bent down to kiss her and she wasn't there. That happened a few times where I was just relaxing in the car on the way home and these short little daydreams or halliciations would happen. We got home and pretty soon, other grandma came and picked up Lindsey for the afternoon. So curled up in the chair and didn't hear the phone ring, or my mom trying to talk to me, or anything. Somehow I woke up pretty coherent so she could vacuum. Then she went home and I fell into bed. Slept off and on till about 40 minutes ago. I could gladly get back into bed and stay there for the rest of the day. But Lindsey is coming back home in 90 minutes and I have to back bags for the other two peole staying at Grandma's house.

They only things I've noticed that are differnt today are that I can't spell, my words that I speak take more time to say coming out, and I'm just in a fog. I get a bit nauseated and eat my crackers and drink water. I wish I could just have my mom come and take care of me with the rest of my family gone but doing it here in my house. I don't want to think of people moving in tomorrow or anything. I hope I can handle it all.