First chemo, check

I left the house this morning at 9:15 a.m. and returned at 3:15 p.m. -- SIX HOURS of fun! And I survived! Actually, more than that -- I aced it, baby! (OK, Paula, settle down. It was just the first time. The side effects of chemo are cumulative and could get worse, so get off your high horse!) That darn conscience really bugs me sometimes!

Anyway, it wasn't so bad, thanks, I'm sure, to the prayers of many and the grace of God. I lounged with a pillow in a nice, comfy chair, next to a window with the sun shining in. They hooked me up to innocent "fluids" around 11 a.m., then, about 12:15 I got the chemo drugs (for the next two hours).

I had two back-to-back visitors, too -- my "Psycho Sis" and my daughter -- so there was never really a dull moment! I didn't even get to read much of my book ...

But I found out that, to make you more comfortable, the nurses will give you:

• a heated blanket.
• a DVD player and movies to watch.
• soda and juice.
• snacks.
• Cup o' Soup.

While getting my treatment, I was in a big room with five other patients situated on three sides, each about 6 to 8 feet away from the other. Some were "talkers," some were "sleepers," but all seemed friendly. That's one surprising thing I've noticed about cancer patients -- most are really friendly, happy people, really glad to have another day to be friendly and happy.

Anyway, after the regular chemo was over, a "visiting nurse" hooked me up to a HUGE fanny-pack with my chemo and pump to take home for 46 hours. I'm not kidding, this fanny-pack is gigantic and makes my old "Fanny" look so dainty by comparison. My daughter and I laughed that this must be "Freda," Fanny's big, homely sister, or perhaps "Manny," her big, strapping brother (my preference so far). Actually, I still have dainty Fanny stashed away somewhere, so I may continue using her instead of this big ol' bag. We'll see ...

So, the plan is that a nurse will stop by my house on Saturday and unhook Fanny/Freda/Manny, and I'll be free (to party wildly) for the next 11 days. Then we do it again ...

One thing I got this time that I haven't had before is a prescription for anti-nausea drugs -- a mild one and an "I-can-handle-anything" drug. So I've had the mild one filled, just in case, and we'll see if I need the other one. In addition to the 5-FU (the chemo I had in the fall), I'm getting two other drugs, which could cause some nausea. Sensitivity to cold is another side effect. And stupid me --while driving home from my treatment, I pulled into a Steak 'n Shake for a child-size shake, which sounded really good at the time. While sipping on it on the road, I got "brain freeze" in my mouth, whoa, then I remembered about the cold sensitivity! So I just sipped on it occasionally, when it wasn't quite so cold, and got that sucker down! (Paula: 1, chemo: 0.)

Thanks for checking on me, and for the prayers and support!

Until next time ...

P