» Had my first chemo treatment today. Only they dont call it 'cheemo'. No. Rather they call it an » infusion .. which is a more pleasant word, you must agree.
This was while I was sitting in the Infusion Center, where they have 50 or 60 cushy reclining chairs ..
.. "We want you to be comfortable. Would you like a blanket and a pillow?" ..
.. and 5 or 6 separate rooms .. which I call » cabanas. (They will be giving me a cabana later this week.)
The biggest difference, right now, anyway, is that my legs are wobbly. I am unsteady on my feet.
They tell me that the two biggest side-effects are » nausea and fatigue.
Before they give you the 'infusion,' which lasts an hour, of a big liter-bag, they give you anti-nausea meds and a cortical steroid.
Actually, before they give you these meds, they first draw 4 vials of blood, which are sent off to the lab, next door.
"I just gave them a bag-full of vials last week," I protested to the nurse.
"A lot can change in a few days," she said.
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After the anti-nausea meds wear off in a day or two, they gave me pills to take home .. to take "as needed" .. both 'mild-nausea pills' and the strong ones.
The pharmacist instructed me to take the mild ones first, and if those dont work within 20-30 mins, to take the strong ones. "Most patients prefer the strong ones," she admitted.
She said to stay ahead of the nausea, because, once you get behind the curve, it can be hard to catch up.
The infusion drugs (chemo) should be out of my bloodstream in 48 hours. "Drink lots of water," they told me.
The smell of my pee .. is like no other smell I have ever smelled before. So I wont even try to describe it to you. But no, it doesnt smell like roses.
[ Update - This smell was not due to my pee, which they told me that chemo is basically odorless. But rather the strange smell was due to a new toilet seat, which was instlled while I ws gone. It smells like plastic chemicals. Very strange odor. I wrapped the seat in plastic until I can get around to replacing it. ]
I have been up since 3:21 AM, when I woke today. (Blast-off.) So I am toast. I will fiinish this tomorrow. I left the house at 6AM (for chemo) and returned at 4 PM. So it was a long day.
I was doing good until they called my name this morning. Then I felt the anxiety climb .. pretty far up there.
But the experience was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated.
I am curious about the dreams I will have tonight.
The end. ■
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xx
