- my big giant LL Bean bag, given to me by dearest internet friends who, collectively, have so far anticipated my every need
- a big soft blanket, which I received from a friend I've had since the days of Rainbows and Odyssey in St Joe
- a junky cardigan sweater from Target, which still has bits of sap clinging to it from when my sister made me help her drag their Christmas tree outside first thing on December 26th
- some soft socks with grippy bottoms, a gift from another internet friend, so I can take my shoes off but still be up and around without sliding all over the place
- my Kindle Fire, a gift from my sister 2 Christmases ago which I could not possibly have anticipated how much I would come to rely on. Every cancer patient should have a Kindle Fire (or an iPad, I guess). It's my lifeline to Netflix and Amazon Prime and Spotify and the internet and a jillion books
- a bottle of water
- a Kind bar
- a book (never once have I read the book, but what if technology fails?)
I get there at my appointed time and go back to a big room with about 20 comfortable chairs spaced out around the edges. There are huge windows looking out into a garden, which has been nice now that spring has finally arrived. There are usually four nurses working and they let you sit wherever you want as long as you're in your assigned nurse's general area.
The first thing they do is draw blood to make sure my counts are okay to receive chemo. The weekly Taxol is generally not too hard on white blood cell counts, but everyone is different and some people do have a hard time with it. So far mine has held steady. It takes about 15 minutes to get the CBC results back, so for that period of time I'm just sitting around.
Once we get the all clear on the bloodwork, they give me Pepcid and dexamethasone by mouth, and Benadryl by IV. These meds are all to counteract the side effects of chemo - the stuff Taxol is suspended in can cause allergic reaction, hence the steroids and Benadryl, and I don't really know why I need a Pepcid, but whatever. The Benadryl is serious business. It's the same amount as you'd take to go to sleep (if you are me and don't mess around and always go for the 50mg) but it hits fast and hard, and for a good hour or so I kind of drift in and out. Usually during this time I try my hardest to pay attention to a TV show (current: Gilmore Girls) and fail and then just sit there and listen to music.
After they give me the pre-meds, they order the chemo drugs. I understand chemo meds are very very expensive but it is super annoying to me that they can't have these ready when I get there. It takes another good 45 minutes or so to get the meds from the pharmacy. Finally, usually when I am starting to perk back up, it's time for Taxol, which takes an hour, and then Herceptin for 30 minutes.
Eventually I have to pee, which is a big pain. You're supposed to drink tons of water all the time when you're receiving chemo, and treatment days are no exception. I always have to pee at least three times when I'm there. I hardly ever see anyone else having to pee! I guess I have a small bladder, or maybe everyone else isn't being conscientious about their water intake. Anyway, it is a big pain to unplug the IV and get up and go to the bathroom dragging that thing behind you. It's less of a pain now that I receive chemo through a port rather than IV - at least I have both arms free.
Once the Herceptin is done, that's it! They flush my port and unhook me and I pack up all my stuff and go home. All told I am usually there about 3 hours start to finish. It really goes fast, though, thanks to my various methods of entertainment. Usually I have chemo in the afternoons, so I work from home in the morning and then just check back in for a few minutes afterward when I get home. I never really have any side effects that interfere with my life until a couple of days later, so I try to cook dinner and go for a walk that night and just do things I would normally do. Only seven more times to go!
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