Friday, October 15, 2010

10/14/10 First Chemo Cycle

We arrived at the Aurora Medical Center at 8am so we could get an early start and get out at a decent time. They got us all checked in but the chemo didn't start till about noon. We had a nice private room with a grand view of the city. One of the reasons for the late start was that my port is so new that it was stlil swollen and that made it harder to get a needle into it. That took about 5 attempts. They do a pretty good job of numbing it so it wasn't too bad, but I could tell they felt bad and that it was an unusual occurance for them. 3 different bags of chemo went in, and the nurse sat and explained each cocktail to us with the possible side effects. There will be side effects, most notable will be loss of hair in about 2 weeks and fatigue. Also I will have a depleted immune system so being around sick people will be a no no. The American Cancer Society girl brought me a wig and I am not sure what to think about it. Hats may be much easier, but I will take this to my hairdresser and see if she can style it a bit and see if that makes it look better. It's not real hair, it's kind of Halloweenish to me. I guess this won't truly sink in till my hair is coming out. What will my head look like when I am bald, I wonder? What will I look like without eyelashes and eyebrows? What is burned into my brain is the picture of Paul wearing the wig when I came out of the bathroom. Think of a big chimp with a blonde wig on. All that was missing was the lipstick. Just don't know if I can put that thing on me now. We walked out of the medical center about 4pm. Today at 3 I have to go back for a Neulasta shot. It will help keep the white cells at a good level and hopefully protect me from infection. The nurse suggested that I keep a diary every day of symptoms and side effects and I may see some sort of pattern to be aware of. The procedure itself was very easy, I have to admit that. Now just wating to see what the coming days will bring. I am looking very much forward to feeling this thing shrink within me.  Thankyou so much everyone who thought of me and prayed for me. Being bourne up by the eagles wings!!

3 comments:

  1. I appreciate your blogging this journey. It helps us to identify more with what you're experiencing. You are in our prayers always.

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  2. Want you to know you are in our thoughts and prayers. Let us know if there is anything we can do. You have a long road ahead of you, but you will do amazing because of who you are!!

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  3. I love hearing that people are praying for me; that means SOOOOO much to us.

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