Today is one week since the first infusion! I can't believe I've made it one week. I had been picturing chemo as sort of this liquid bullet . . . that once infused, I'd get as close to death as possible and then slowly return from the depths when chemo stopped. It was nothing like that. Maybe after a year and a half of no TV in Shanghai, my imagination went a bit bonkers.
The first day was long. Did a CBC test to make sure all my blood markers were good and then met with my gyno oncologist. For me, that last meeting with my doctor was my very last chance at bailing out of chemo and I hoped she'd suddenly say I wouldn't have to do it. She didn't. So, tearfully I accepted it . . . secretly thinking I had "one last chance"(again) before the chemo nurse pricked me with the needle. :*) I *really* didn't want to do this. My chemo appt was at 2:30p but we didn't get called back till 3:30p. Around 4pm the nurse finally started the infusion. The "liquid drugs" make your arm very cold as they keep the drugs chilled. The first set of drugs are pre-chemo - they consist of drugs to help your body accept the chemo: a steroid, benadryl, anti-nausea, and one other that I forget. Either the steroid or the Benadryl was rough. Made me dizzy and sleepy. After sleeping it off some, I felt better. Then basically I felt no different through the infusion. In fact a friend had said to eat sugar while being infused - sugar feeds cancer or as one book's analogy - sugar is to cancer, like motor oil is to a race car. Hubby and I joked that we felt like eating the sugar would be like luring cockroaches (cancer) out with bait and then using Fogger (chemo) on them. I think I kinda thought the effect of "Fogger" on me, might actually make me keel over on my back...I mean chemo is poison. We both read somewhere of this story where someone was getting infused and the nurse dropped the IV bag of drugs and the drug got all over the floor. The person said the nurse freaked out and got like HASMAT (is that the right spelling?) to come out and clean the floor and stuff. The patient was like, 'hmm, why do they act like it's going to eat the floor alive yet they calmly inject it into you like it's nothing'.
The next day I felt fine - oddly normal. In fact I happened to email the pharmacist and realized/discovered I was supposed to take the anti-nausea pills for the 3 days post chemo. I misunderstood and thought she meant to take it on day 3 AFTER chemo so I hadn't had any anti-nausea med that day until late evening yet felt fine all day! The day after that though, I felt pretty - "unpleasant". I was super sleepy all day and pretty queasy. Since then I've been back to feeling more like "normal" and doing good. I take the kids out to run grocery store errands . . . made enchiladas one day . . . blueberry muffins another. I've been VERY thankful - it's the synergy of all the prayers, support, and supplements (to protect me from the bad effects of chemo) coming together and working!
So I have to do this at least 2 more times. Sounds do-able. However the doc would like me to consider 5 more times. I keep telling her I'm not interested in more than a total of 3 times. She said she'd compromise at 3 - saying we'll discuss and re-evaluate after 3 and see how I am doing. She said I might just "sail through" 3 rounds and feel that I can do more. Well, exactly, if I sail through 3, good for me and let's keep it that way! Sigh! I dunno . . . sounds like a timeshare trap - 'C'mon on, stay on the property and then if you like it, join!'
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