Day 1

Straight up - thank you for all of your support, especially for the insights & wisdom of those that have gone before me & survived. I'm mostly positive, upbeat and sometimes flip about the cancer & treatment - it's just my way. Yeah, you know me!!! But I think that y'all would worry a lot more if I didn't have self-pitying lows. I'm not dropping into a depression, just (I think) acceptable sadnesses.

Anyway, yesterday was Day 1. There are 3 drugs that I'm on for the first 3 treatments, then 1 drug for the final 3 - I'm on a FECD regimen. The nurse does a manual push for the Fluorouracil & Epirubicin & I could totally feel & taste it. Blech!!! I drank 2L of water - they were quite adamant about water intake for the day before, day of & day after treatment & I'm mostly compliant about things like that. It went well - I couldn't knit for the manual push, about 1/2 of the time we were there so I read knitting mags. Once she hung the bag for the Cyclophosphamide I was good to go.

I had some chest pressure - like extra gravity - that I mentioned to Jean. She thought that it might be the amount of fluids that were being put in - there is saline solution going in as well to dilute the drugs, but they'd keep an eye on it. When it was all done she was on lunch & the pressure was still there so I asked Tammy about it. She spoke to the Dr. & gave me some Maalox because the drugs can cause some swelling in the esophagus that may cause pressure & he ordered another ECG (my baseline one last week was perfect!). I didn't even have to go to imaging, the tech came to the chemo clinic - Score!! It came back perfect too. Sigh. Tammy asked if I was feeling anxious, even though I looked quite mellow. I said that I wasn't especially but they gave me an Ativan which after a half hour had me put down my knitting & close my eyes - not go to sleep but just too freakin' mellow to keep my eyes open. After an hour of that the Dr. allowed as how I could go home since it wasn't getting worse. It's gone today so maybe I'm just special & sensitive enough to have an aberrant side effect! The nurse is coming tomorrow to give me the Neulasta to help boost my white blood cell count & help ward off infection. I'm hoping to be in the 69% that does not get joint pain. I'm really not good with chronic pain. Like anyone is, but I'm just especially not.

I have some leftover curry & my fave Green Giant Essentials veg and then totally crashed out around 3pm. I got up to pee & re-water (I totally lost track of how much I drank - probably a good sign) and didn't regain real consciousness until 7 this morning. I know - I wished for it ;-)
Someone mentioned that they felt like they had the flu after treatment - that's kind of how I feel now. A bit dizzyish & light headed, not nauseous exactly just not hungry. I feel cold but feverish though I'm not. They said to take my temperature twice a day - I've done it 6 times already!!! I'm drinking my water, I'll get something to eat shortly.

All-in-all I'm okay - one day at a time, family & friends at the ready, yarn in hand I'll get through this. Speaking of which I should get to some knitting - new socks for Elise. There is nothing more thrilling than a new project expect for maybe finishing it!!