Chemo Day One: Hit me with your best shot!

Well Chemo Day One is done, and I'm happy to report that it was incredibly uneventful. There are many things I can attribute its uneventfulness to, but here are just a few:

First, my Patron Saint of Breast Cancer sent by Alyssa and Chris. I'm very glad to find it wasn't anything bitey, pokey, or barrettes. Thanks you two!

Second, my faithful sidekick. Though the accommodations for supporters are less than ... accommodating ... he toughed it out the entire time. But more on that later.

And third, my sparkly chemo shoes!

 So here's the low down on this and my five remaining treatments. I pre-dose at home the one day prior, day during, and one day after chemo with an oral steroid called Dexamethasone. Then Chemo Day consists of six bags. The first two bags are anti-nausea meds; one called Aloxi and the other is Emend. Bag number three is another dose of Dexamethasone. Then we move on to the actual chemo drugs; Herceptin, followed by Taxotere and Carboplatin. All the while, these six bags are supplemented with a couple of bags of saline, so actually eight in total. And equally as many trips to the potty.

But potty trips are easy-peasy, because my new little friend over there to my right (your left) is very mobile. The only down side is that there's really not very far to go in the infusion center as my little buddy over there isn't allowed off the tile floor.

So, unfortunately, there's very little of this happening up there.

Now where was I? Oh yea, six bags plus two. So all of this took about seven and a 1/2 hours yesterday. They give everything to you nice a slow on the first day, so it takes a lot longer than subsequent treatment days will. Fortunately, I packed a lot of snacks - which I ate all of, and then some. 

So after we got home last night, and after a really yummy pot roast dinner followed up by chocolate banana pie with Mom and Rob, I had a couple more cocktails at my disposal. Compazine - an oral anti-nausea; Ativan - classically an anti-anxiety, but is supposed to be really good for combating nausea, and is a benzodiazepine, so it'll just make you too sleepy to care that you feel like you have to barf; and Vicodin - which is mostly for any pain I might experience resulting from my Neulasta shot today. (Or "Nutella", as Mom calls it, which sounds much more delicious! Again with the white people peanut butter!)

Luckily, side effects have been practically non-existent so far. Feeling just a tad queasy, I took some Compazine just before bed last night and again this morning. But who knows if the queasiness is from the chemo, or from treating everything I ate yesterday as my last meal?

But mostly I'm attributing my so far lack of side effects to Ms. Pat Benatar:

Perfect, no? Dave suggested this as one of my theme songs the other week, and I don't think Ms. Benatar will mind being the mascot for Team Cancer Sucks. Put your thinking caps on and leave a comment with my theme song for Chemo Day Two. 

And speaking of Chemo Day Two, for those interested in a visit, that's scheduled for June 21st. And Day Three will be on July 12th. If you come by the infusion center, you'll get to meet Lynn, one my of bartenders infusion nurses.

But as I mentioned, supporters are not exactly sitting in the lap of luxury while visiting for treatment. In fact, you get a small, hard chair that is not at all kind to those with back issues (I know, I briefly traded seats with Rob before making him give me my recliner back.) Also, it's really quiet and really boring in there. So when planning a visit, bring games (Pass the Pigs, Andi?)... and snacks! (No cafe in this building, no sir. Just a vending machine in the basement.) And if none of that sounds like your cup o' tea, home visits are always welcome. Same rules apply - sans the small, hard chairs.

And with that, I'm going back to bed! Have a great weekend everyone!