Chemo...dun dun dun.

Well, as I sit here the morning after my first treatment, I figured I would let you guys in on how it all went down. I'm fighting back the "queasies" as we speak. I can't decide if eating breakfast is a good idea, or a very bad idea...
So...yesterday:
I arrived at the hospital (hubby drove), around 8:30am. Blood labs were drawn (to check my blood counts, etc. to see if I was fit for chemo and surgery). Then we proceeded to an appointment with my medical oncologist (NP). She checked me out, talked with me and asked us about any questions that we had. She also went over the blood tests, and found that my blood sugar was a bit low (probably because I couldn't eat or drink anything after 6am). We then headed to the skills lab, where they went over how to give myself (or how hubby could give) injections. The nurse was really nice, and hubby felt like he could mess with her (joke). She asked us if we had any difficulty seeing or hearing, and hubby responded with "pardon me?" and "I'm sorry", as if he couldn't hear her. Har har har. It is nice to have him around to lighten the mood sometimes. She had this little practice skin thingy where she would demonstrate how to give the injection. Well, I guess the syringe that they had been using was older and had a little bend on the very end. So when she was showing how "easily" to take out the needed, the needle got caught on the "skin" of the practice thingy, and wouldn't let go! It made a little hole in it, because it was caught! The nurse was mortified, although she laughed a long with us for a while. She was thankful I wasn't one of those people who were terrified of needles or she would have had to pick me up off the floor! Hubby and I carried on about that for a while.
Next, I went to my port surgery. I vainly asked the surgeon, if he would put the incision in a place that wasn't as visible if possible. Having the scar as a constant reminder of this chemo every time I look in the mirror, I could do without! He said he'd do what he could, and try and have the scar more lateral (to the side), but he had to place it higher then usual, because of my expanders. The surgery itself pretty much went off without a hitch. I was awake the whole time (they gave me some twilight meds, that were supposed to make me really sleepy, but didn't). They did make me not care too much about the fact that they were cutting me, so all in all - not bad. I was numb for a bit afterwards.
Then...it was time to report to chemo-land. We signed in, they traded my surgery bracelet for a new one and had us take a seat. We waited for quite a while (maybe 45 minutes or so?) before they called me back. Well, they didn't take me to the normal chemo area, because I heard there was some kind of "spill" the day prior, and they were fixing the place up. They took me to another area a floor down. Immediately when I walked in, I felt out of place -it was eerily quiet. There were probably around 8-10 other folks getting chemo here, sitting in their recliners, with their significant others next to them. Some of them were napping, some watching TV. What I noticed right away is that these folks were all significantly older than I was. And a wave of..."damn-it, this isn't fair" came over me. I even had a few people that day tell me that I looked too healthy and too young to be there. I agreed. But I am here. So...here we go.
The nurse took me to my very own recliner, got me a warm blanket and asked me if I wanted a drink. I asked for some water (I should have brought my water bottle that my sister-in-law Erin bought for me. It says "Fight like a Girl". Next time, I'll remember. My port was left with these little tubes sticking out of it (since I had surgery prior, they left the access open). The nurse started an IV in my tube, and ran that for a while. Then she asked me if I felt I needed some Ativan (a relaxant, but is also supposed to help with nausea), I told her to go ahead with the Ativan. She told me that it may make me sleepy, and I was cool with that. She then put the steroids in it, and some other anti-nausea meds. Then...in came the red devil - Adriamycin. (The "A" part of my "AC" chemo cocktail, I believe). There are 3 or 4 viles that they push through with a syringe). Notice how my nurse is dressed up like a member of the hazmat team? I kind of felt like...Ummmmm...where is my protective equipment?!?

 

 

Next came the Cytoxan portion of the cocktail. It is just administered through an IV bag. It takes about an hour to run though. See that bag hanging on the IV pole behind my bed...there that bitch is. Flip her off for me, will ya? Makes me smile thinking of random readers of the blog flipping off their screen. :)

 

My port site was beginning to become painful just about as the end of my treatment was nearing. I told Adam, and he asked the nurse for something for my pain. They had to get an order for the doc before they would give me anything. We were thinking they could just put something in my IV. Nope, they brought me over a couple of "Norco" (kind of like Vicodin) pills. I took them, hoping they would help, and not cause me nausea. I figured they would be fine, as I had a couple of anti-nausea meds on board (in my IV) already as part of the chemo routine.

They dismissed us, and we drove home. I was feeling a bit queasy, but nothing all that out of the ordinary. I wondered if it was because of the chemo, the drive home (and I had been checking into facebook while hubby drove - I am not one of these people who can read in the car). We got caught in traffic, so the ride was a bit longer then planned. We had to stop for gas and I told the hubby to get me a ginger ale or Vernors or something.

**WARNING TO THOSE WHO GET QUEASY EASILY...STOP READING NOW**

As he went into the store, I couldn't hold back the waves of nausea any longer. I opened up the car door and vomited a couple of times. (I apologize into the universe to those who happened upon my "mess"). We stopped at Olive Garden to get some take out (as I thought maybe something mild like pasta and soup would have been tolerable - and I needed to eat something). Then we were on the road again. I had to have hubby stop another time on the side of the road prior to arriving home, so I could get sick. Hubby was on the phone talking to our little girls as this was happening (Hubby's brother and his wife asked to take the girls for the weekend - so nice!) I was thankful that they didn't have to see me so sick. I barely held myself together as I talked to them on the phone to say goodnight.

We arrived home. I ate some of the soup, and a bread stick...then got sick again...a few times. UGH. I took another Ativan, thinking maybe it would help, and maybe make me sleepy too. I didn't feel like it was helping much.

I decided that I would call it a night, and went to bed. I didn't sleep all that great, but that is not all due to the chemo, I am still uncomfortable from the surgery (and expanders), so it is hard to get comfortable.