I made it!
First and foremost that should be said.
So how did it go?
On Monday, September 23 at around 9:30am I reported to my local hospital for my first round of chemotherapy. I had no idea what to expect. Armed with my husband, t-shirt quilt, ipad and small stuffed monkey I unpacked and got comfortable in the room that would be my home for the next few days. Nurses came and introduced themselves, I hung up paper cranes lovingly made for me by a former student and her mother. The nurses explained that my medications would need to be ordered and mixed, my fluids and premedication to begin before the chemo would be started. We had no idea how long this process would take, and tried to get comfortable.
After lunch the nurses were ready to access my port. Since I had just implanted on Friday, it was still quite tender and a bit swollen. After being poked at for about 45 minutes, rubber gloves getting stuck to the glue that kept the incision closed, and two nurses poking at me, I spoke up. I asked, hopefully as politely as I remember, to wait until my main nurse for the day was back from lunch, as she had already navigated her approach. Fifteen minutes later fluids and premedications were flowing comfortably into me. I would be attached to this tubing for the next three days.
A few hours later, as I ate my second hospital meal of the day I received my first chemotherapy medication. It was a large syringe of clear liquid called Vincristine, and took about five minutes to be given. It was totally uneventful! No fireworks, no burning pain, no wooziness, nothing, I ate turkey while toxic medication was pushed into my bloodstream by a perfectly kind woman. Over the next hour I received my next medication, Cytoxan through a drip. After the Cytoxan the next medication was not a chemo but a protective medicine, Mesna. Mesna is given every four hours for about a half hour and it wraps itself around chemo meds in my urinary system to protect my bladder and kidney from being overly effected by the chemo. After the first round of Mesna we were already onto the last medication of the first round! Doxorubicin was given as a 24 hour drip, twice! It is red, and light sensitive. While hanging on my IV stand (who's name is Lew) it is covered in a special bag to protect it from the sun. I could not believe that this crazy concoction didn't feel as brutal as it looked as it went into my body. After being on it for 48 hours though, it did start to take its tole.
On Wednesday afternoon, 4:23pm to be exact, my Doxorubicin ran out and I was done with my first round of chemo. My mom came to pick me up, I got to go home and see my little dog Ernie who had apparently been keeping my husband up looking for me for the past few days. Over the next two days, I had energy to do little more than sleep and eat. Since I have left the hospital, each day I have felt more myself, gone for a few walks and eaten Thai food.
Thanks for your patience and concern as I got this first post together. I have a VERY large team pulling for me. Two schools, two big families, a store full of containers, Northern and Southern California, and even some of Israel. Keeping everyone informed individually is hard. It continues to be overwhelming that this is happening, but I know I am strong enough to handle it.
