My first chemo day results. 🙋🏼

[JoGee]

Well, my 1st Round of Chemo has an excellent start. I say that because I had a good experience in the end.
Taking my designated treatment pills did well, the nurse was happy I remembered to take them and did so as directed. So, no bad side effects like nausea. I'm so lucky!

My appointments there began late, with a domino effect. (Next round should be better prepared.) The lab took me in half hour late, because I began pestering them (the girl said they were trying to bring up my records, but my next appointment wasn't til another 20 minutes anyway; and so I sent Ellis in to see if he'd get a better effect...so they explained to they were trying to retrieving the records....so they told him they were having trouble getting records and were contacting the doc's nurse, then she gave us a seat in there so we wouldn't feel neglected. She set up my port and made the necessary draws (sending the urgent ones to the lab techs to prepare immediately), about which time the my pager began buzzing for my oncologist visit with Dr Equzar, my cancer guy.
We got there just before the nurse gave up hope on us, I think. Explained the delay problem. But we did get to see him, get information needed (including the cellulitis.....which shows improvement, by the way). The oncologist nurse had questions and instructions....she was happy with my replies.
Finally, we made it up to the Infusion Room. I was surprised that for the first time that area didn't feel freezing to me. I'm guessing the treatment pills (I'll be on for 2 weeks) had something to do with that. I'm not sure if we were on time or late, as neither of us wore watches. But the pharmacist still had to make up my chemo mix, which the doctor decides from a few current lab test results plus my weight. That took another half hour, plus the time for an infusion nurse to go downstairs and fetch the chemo packets. They finally got me started on the IVs. Most people start with a regular saline solution, but my chemo requires a sugar solution and not the salty one.
I noticed that all other patients left by 4 p.m.; we weren't done til 4:30. I had a few periodic bouts of feeling "almost, but not quite" lightheadedness, so I moved slowly and carefully til I was sure it wouldn't overtake me. Then a bathroom break for me and I was ready to go home.

Some "rush hour" traffic and crazy drivers on the road, but we got home okay.
At home I went to get something out of the fridge, and couldn't because my fingertips reacted like frostbite the minute I felt the cold air, so Ellis didn't get a break from making dinner. Nor will he today, since I took a teaspoon out of the drawer for my mocha, and metal is cold!
Also today, the big pains I got from my cellulitis yesterday are gone, although I feel the "tightness" of my skin there. So I am pretty much walking on my own today. (I wonder if chemo gave that a boost?). Anyway it looks like minimal side effects at best. No lightheadedness today.
But my cancer guy will be told about it on my next visit to him, in case he wants to make a chemo adjustment, even though I don't think it was serious.
Other than that, I can expect to feel tired, require naps -(or not?), from my treatment medications these next two weeks. I'll get a week off meds after that, then the next treatment cycle will begin. 8 cycles altogether, ending in early November.

💁🏼

[maxie]

Good news Jo..hope all continues to go well. Thank goodness you have such fantastic help and support at home. ((Jo and Ellis))

[determined]

Glad all went well and you aren't having the nasty side effects that I have watched so many go through

[JoGee]

Maxie & Darla, thanks!
I made a point of going in with NO expectations, either way, good or bad. I figure that my body knows better than I what's happening, and how to compensate. It looks Ike I have 2 vials of "help" pills that I won't be using.

[jostoy]

Glad you didn't get nauseous like people did long ago. My dad had 1 chemo treatment then couldn't have any more due to his low blood counts. He had to have 2 units of blood to bring the counts back up. Good to see there has been a great improvement in chemo treatments.

[Paula A]

It sounds like you are a very patient Patient, Jo. Hope all continues to work smoothly and better with each added experience!

[JoGee]

Thanks, friends. Here is E's version of that appointment. He calls it our new journey, or adventure,
"FINDING CHEMO -1". 😄😂😄

After I fixed her a scrambled egg breakfast yesterday, Dory (aka Grandma/Mom/Aunt/Jo) and I started our new journey in a typical way, waiting a long time to be seen for her first appointment. We swam there early and, after she checked in and was given her light-up disk, hung around the friends and anemones in the lab waiting area at the cancer center. We watched as a dozen or so other people entered the lab either after their name was called or just as apparent walk-ins. As a rule, we are patients with patience so we sat it out.

About ten or fifteen minutes after Dory's scheduled appointment time she went up to the doorway to inquire about the status of her appointment. She was told that she would be called next. (You know, like the attendant at the restaurant tells you that "it will be about twenty minutes" secure in the knowledge that most people are willing to wait about twenty minutes at which time you can tell them that it will be another ten minutes and so on ad infinitum.)

About twelve minutes later, Dory asked me to go up and check again as her scheduled appointment with Dr. Elquza was almost due. The attendant, obviously a jellyfish, said that she only handled blood draws and went to check with the 'port' nurse. Pat came over and told us we could wait in her stall (the lab needs more space for sure). She explained that the order from the doctor hadn't included which blood panels to draw and that she was waiting for that information. "Any storm in a port" I always say. Pat was soon able to do all the draws and carefully explained everything. Still, it took about another fifteen minutes, at which time the light-up appointment disk (like the ones in the restaurant) began flashing, entreating us to go out and down the hallway to one of the "pits".

Dory swam very rapidly with her walker, causing the vitals nurse, who met us part way down the hall, to observe that she had been racing down the hall. A tribute to Dory's improved mobility of late. After Dr. Elquza (it's Turkish) reviewed her status, they sent Dory and me up to the Central Infusion pod on the second floor to check in for another wait. By now it was around 12:45 so I swam down to the snack bar to pick up some drinks and a couple of croissant sandwiches for lunch. A short time after I got back to the infusion waiting room they called us to go to the pod.

The pod is a small room (as they all are) with a big recliner in each corner next to which is a chair, each set of which is separated by a partially drawn curtain. On each longer wall is a nurses station. The infusion started with some medications followed by another long wait while the pharmacy made up the chemo mixture. (Remind me to ask why a standard medication needs to be made up individually for each patient. I get that the amount might be weight dependent, but ...) We finished our croissants while waiting some more.
Finally, at a little after 2:00 PM, Dory was given some sugar water to flush her port since the chemo mixtures don't tolerate the usual saline solution. Then, the nurse explained that the first fifteen minutes of chemo are the most critical. Some people experience gagging, itching, burning and other horrible symptoms requiring the doctor's intervention. After corrective action and a wait, the infusion could continue. Then the chemo began. I watched the time on my cellphone tick by tick (well there really weren't any ticks but you get the idea) as the first fifteen minutes dragged on. Unbeknownst to me, Dory did feel a little light-headed for a while. But on the whole it was another triumph for our strong willed courageous Grandma/Aunt/Mom/Jo. The final port flush was just before 4:30 PM.

Since then she has continued with her chemo pills and has even increased the ease and amount of her walking.

In preparation for her chemo experience, I washed all the bedding, dusted and vacuumed, and scrubbed the floors. Oh, my sore knees! I've been learning how to do all kinds of things. I'll make her a great husband when this is all over!

[JoGee]

Jostoy, I had that problem to begin with, but my surgeon put me on iron pills. That changed everything. I also have a vitamin supplement to help as well.

[Nalani]

Glad it went well!

[BarbCA108]

Good to see that it went so well. I have had friends who suffered horrid nausea so I'm glad to see that they may have got that sorted out.
Ellis does seem to be getting all the husbandly chores under his belt.

[Mayebarnes]

Jo so glad the first long day is done.. You did. Very well. Not a tear or a cuss word. Praying it gets the job done. ((((((((Jo))))))))))))

[boffler]

How great to read this first thing this morning...I love Ellis account of the happenings...I know what he means about mixing the mixture, that always seems to be the longest part when I get my infusions, getting it mixed, they did explain how delicate mixing it has to be...after the pharmacy gets the 'stuff' to mix to the infusion people, all takes time, so many people waiting on the pharmacy for meds..

Jo I sure hope it continues to be good for you, I had a friend that went through this also and she says the meds they gave her to alleviate the nausea worked great...Thanks so much for the update...

[JoGee]

Boffler, one of my nausea meds I can't take for 3 days after the IV day. It's like a saline solution, which doesn't abide with the chemo chemicals I get. They have to flush my port with sugar water solution rather than saline.
Fortunately, I haven't had a bit of nausea (*knock on wood*). I feel so lucky for that, anyway.
One friend, a nurse, has told me to eat a protein rich meal just before chemo, and it'll keep the lightheadedness at bay.
(I think the lightheaded leads to nausea. And mine was so mild it wasn't bothersome. It didn't last long, just a few seconds.).
I will tell E you liked his account of it. After sending it out, he thought people would think it's stupid. But his inspiration for writing has picked up. Much of my imagination has shut down this year, I think.

Thank you all for your moral support. You mean so much to me.

[Paula A]

Not stupid at all, Jo, but it helps "see" it all...knocking on wood here, too. Love to you both!

[determined]

Jo, love Ellis's storytelling puts a nice spin on the horribleness of what is going on, and they say that attitude is a very big part to beating this battle.
When a friend was going through chemo her daughter (a nurse) started checking into all the "tricks" to keep the bad side effects of the chemo at bay, this was way back before Dr.s would accept anything accept medical solutions. What she found was that eating lots of starchy food for a couple days before chemo helped with the nausea. Any how Virginia would eat lots of bread like stuff for 2 days before and she never had a bit of problem with the nausea. Now I guess the Dr.s have figured out that it works because while sitting in the waiting room I picked up a magazine and they had a whole thing in there about the "cancer diet" it even had sample meals for each day and sure enough 2 days before the chemo the meals were full of starchy foods.