Day Twenty Nine - Chemo Day

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, 

for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you 

He will not fail you or forsake you." 

Deuteronomy 31:6

Well I went to bed pretty nervous.  I had promised Riley I would give him a ride to a meeting at 7:15, and I had promised to take Emily to Jump Group.  But as the morning unfolded I realized that I didn't have what it takes to get Emily to the Jump Group.  I felt really bad about it, but it was the sensible thing to do, or not do as things were going.  I just wasn't moving fast enough, and I wanted to make sure I got a proper lunch made for myself.  I had heard that some chemo centers provided lunch, but I wasn't going to count on it.  And if they did, I probably wouldn't approve of it.  As it turned out they had two snack machines which contained nothing I would approve of.

So I got my hair washed - this would maybe be the only time I needed to do that before chemo.  Then I made a great lunch - orange slices, sliced strawberries, organic whole grain crackers, organic baby carrots, organic celery sticks, two of Corey's great muffins, and half a baked sweet potato.   It was just right.  I munched on my lunch all the way through chemo.  I also had a big container of filtered water.  Riley went to Burgerville for lunch, and ate it before he came back in, because he figured I wouldn't like the smell.

Me getting chemo, munching,  and holding my teddy Auguste Blanqui from Paris

I did take an Ativan before going to the cancer center, so I was doing pretty well.  My weight was down again, my temperature was 98.8, and my blood pressure was something like 127/85 - and ... my sneezing and runny nose were gone.  YES!  Dr Look was amusing as always.  He measured by right breast, just to get a general idea of where I'm at.  Because I have lots of little tumors, there's not a lot to measure.  He told me which of the two incisions on my left chest is the port.  The second spot is a stitch to anchor the tubing in place.  Both spots were still a bit tender.

Next stop, the chemo rec room, also known as the infusion suite.  It wasn't very crowded today, so we had a good pick of where to sit.  Riley even got to sit in a lounge chair.  I sat in a chair that had a table and chairs to one side, and an end table with a lounge chair next to it on the other side.  Just beyond the other lounger was a woman who was in for the first time.  Her husband was with her, and he was rather a character with a Scottish hat on.  Her treatment was for 6 hours, and she had to come in every three week six times, so I won't see her again for at least six weeks.

The first thing the very nice nurse had to do was to get the "whatever" into my port.  She put a numbing agent on the area, knowing that it was still sensitive from surgery.  It did hurt a bit going in, but wasn't too much trouble thereafter.  They had all kinds of things to put into it.  First the anti-nausea stuff, followed by a bit of steroids, to help the anti-nausea work better, and to give me some energy.  Then they put in the two chemos.  I think they were both read, and I now have rusty pee.  I was told to drink lots of water to flush out the chemo stuff.  Then finally one last thing that was clear, and took an hour to go in.  The chemo was slowly pushed in.  I swear I have chemo brain already.  I tried to do the sudoku, and it was only 2 stars, but I couldn't finish it.  I can often nail a ten star.  Maybe I was just too distracted.

When they finally unhooked me, we went straight home.  There was some talk about going to Trader Joe's for some organic foods, but Riley was doing something on his computer, so I laid down.  Well that was it for me for 3 solid hours.  It was a great nap on the couch.  Then after the nap we went to Trader Joe's, and then to New Season's.  We found all sorts of great stuff.  It's so good to be living in Portland when you need organic fruits and vegies.  I got raspberries, blue berries, cantaloupe, watermellow, red cherries, Rainer cherries, as well as green beans, Romain lettuce, cucumber, lemon, and tomatoes.  YUM!  Oh, and we found organic cheese - cream cheese, cheddar, and Parmesan.  I feel so much better when I eat right.  We are really lucky to live so close to a bunch of really good grocery stores: Trader Joe's 1.9 miles; New Seasons 2 miles; and Whole Foods .6 miles.

I must admit I'm rather awake at this point, but I'm hoping that an Ativan will help put me to sleep.  Tomorrow is another uncertain day.  What will be the side affects of the chemo?

Psalm 34:1-4

    I will bless the LORD at all times;

         His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 

    My soul will make its boast in the LORD;

         The humble will hear it and rejoice. 

    O magnify the LORD with me,

         And let us exalt His name together. 

    I sought the LORD, and He answered me,

         And delivered me from all my fears.