1 day post chemo cycle 1....

Chemo itself went as well as could be hoped for yesterday. I looked fabulous (hair done, while I have some I want to take advantage), lipstick on, earrings on, matching clothes, and of course the shoes. You'll notice on the picture, the only thing showing I'm on my way to chemo is the port coming out my front clavicle -- although that sucker sure made the experience less painful, it does cut into many outfits I might want to wear.

My friend from church, Phaedra, had put together a backpack of goodies to keep met busy -- movies, magazines, books, sudoku. Quite sweet. And my friend Robin took my side and kept me company.

I'm so pleased I picked to do chemo in the physician's office. The nurses are knowledgeable about every little detail, every little quirk of each doctor's likes/dislikes, and I think they will move things along in the right way. My PA had said I would need nuelasta shots after every chemo session. These are white blood boosters and the shots are mothers. Some patients need pain medication after the shots. And it means that you're out driving just when you wish to be sleeping (day after chemo). Apparently, my doctor prefers to give each patients body a chance to see how the labs come in prior to doing the neulasta. She does neulasta only if necessary. I would have wasted a trip in today and possibly been subjected to unpleasant shot I didn't need. I was grateful for those nurses -- they are going to be a wealth of knowledge.

Chemo itself went well. I didn't even get into the package of goodies -- I sat and chatted with Robin. Robin is one of those few and special people that you can sit all day talking about what God is doing in your life. And that's what we did. We sat and talked about how good God is. "Wherever two or more are gathered...." I felt like we were having our own little worship service, calling God to be part of our midst. And I felt it there. I think that was much more comforting than even all the books and magazines would have been.

I left feeling good. By a few hours later, I felt like I had a hangover. A few hours after that, I felt like somebody had poured lead in my veins. My body felt like a statute -- heavy and unmovable. I went to sleep at this point and sleep til 2:00 am. I then woke up and couldn't get back to sleep til 6 am. Yikes. Slept for a few more hours and woke up feeling dizzy. Those smart chemo nurses told me which medicine to take, which seems to have helped, but made me tired (on top of that 4 hour mid-night wake up session). Thanks to Lisa taking the kids, I got a nap this afternoon and may just feel alive for a while now.

So, some people say it's the day of chemo and day after chemo that are the worst. I'm hoping these people are right. If so, I'm almost through the worst of the first cycle. Could be worse. Certainly not fun, but I had pictures in my head of my legs laying immovable so that the drugs could catch every last cancer cell zooming around. Worth it.