Chemo Schmemo #2

Friday I had round 2 of my Chemo regimen taxotere +cytoxan. 50% done! Wahoo!

My lovely friend JHO (Jennifer, but I like JHO much better) accompanied me. Thank you JHO, you definitely eased the anxiety and made me laugh.

JHO and Baldie with nice steroid bloat

We started our day at Duke at 8:30am. I went all natural. No foobs, no scarves or hats, just me. And i was feeling good and confident and peaceful and healthy. Such a shame that they knocked me down from that because it was a great feeling.

Anywho, I had my labs drawn to make sure I was well enough for round 2. And then waited to see the nurse practitioner that was covering for my normal one. I don't really like my normal one, I don't feel very cared for with her, but I liked this one. She listened and took my concerns seriously and appreciated my list of questions I had. She had suggestions to help manage my side effects (notes taken by JHO, thanks JHO) and she examined me. My other one didn't even examine me last time. I wish I could switch. Sigh. Maybe next time will be better with the old one.

Then we went down to check in early for treatment. Just in case. Duke merely has suggested appointment times, so it was worth a shot. We took our restaurant pager downstairs and grabbed lunch. Halfway through lunch we got paged! Sweet! Early!

And to "the chair" I went. Had my same nurse, Amy, as last time. She is super nice and caring. I got all hooked up and it was a much easier stick this time because i wasnt so nervous.

That's Amy - she had a cough, so wearing a mask.

So last time I had what they thought was an allergic reaction, so this time I took the 'roids the day before. I was a little nervous that I would have a reaction again or even one that was worse but I knew they would manage it FAST if it happened. Sure enough after they started my taxotere I was drinking my diet coke from lunch and mentioned in passing to JHO that I felt pleghmy. A passer by nurse overheard this and all hell broke loose again. They stopped the drip and added more drugs afraid that this was another reaction. I asked if we could wait and see that I thought it was just my soda, and they weren't going for it. But they agreed to give me only half the benadryl dose so I wouldn't snooze through this one. I still snoozed, but not as long. I'm keeping my comments to myself next time unless I am sure it's something. Sheesh, they must see bad stuff to react like this.

It's really not so bad.

And then I got the cytoxan and was done. Just like that.

On the way out, we stopped by the survivor boutique to look at wigs and what not. They had a few nice ones and MANY that were stuffed in a basket from I think the 70s. I did find one that was nice and normal looking. I was allowed to take one wig and can exchange it two more times if I get tired of it. Plus, I got two beanies and a necklace. Score! Seriously I am set. I need to post and show you all the cool things I've gotten.

Flo

Rizzo

Where's the PTA meeting?

I didn't get one of the "real" wig I took.  I will post when I post about wigs.  I ordered some wigs last night through TLC (American Cancer Society site) during a post chemo online spending spree which I think is caused by the 'roids.

JHO took me home around 5:00pm and I felt ok. Tired and a little loopy. I went to target to pick up a prescription. One of my prescriptions is for Zofran, an anti nausea med. It is expensive, but my company makes it so it is free so I wanted to go back and get the brand name, not generic. I think brand is better than generic, I just do. I saw the retail value on my target receipt and it retails at $1143. What the bleep, man? More benefits for working at my company. I have really good benefits.

I also went to petco for some TBoz treats. I noticed that there are stares when you are bald in the real world, but there are many more smiles. Maybe they are pity smiles, but they are smiles nonetheless. I am just waiting for the insensitive teenager comment or the innocent kid comment. I hope those won't hurt, but that's what you get for roaming around all bald and different.

As for how I'm feeling, kind of crappy, not gonna lie. I don't have the steroid high and I have ALOT of nausea and bloating. Boo. And my confident, healthy feeling, it went bye bye. Double boo.

I am having that metallic taste that they told me about and the things that appeal to me right now are anything in the potato or milk family as well as the ginger ale family. The best fix it "meal" has been salty chick fil a fries and chick fil a ice cream. I don't know why. So much for my no sugar challenge, but I gotta be kind to me and that seems to come in the form of the chick fil a "ice dream".

I will leave you with a rhyme that JHO wrote me while I was in the chair (she is kind of famous for these):

On my way to Chemo with J-Ho.
My head is bald, but so is my ass.
Damn, that happened really fast.

I scan my card and then we sit.
Is that me beeping? No. Shit. And so we sit.

Time to see the doctor and sit on the bed.
Hold on, let me first lint roll my head.

The nurse comes in to take my vitals.
She's definitely not graceful like a ballerina at a recital.

She tells me to undress and the doctor is on her way.
I ask her why, but she doesn't know...is that ok?

So let me recap what the doctor said.
No coffee, lots of chocolate, and aloe on my head.

Time for my Chemo, where's the Ativan?
Phlegm in my throat, Benadryl, and off to never never land.

The machines, the tubes, and how can we forget the beeping.
Next time I'm wearing earplugs to stop the bleeping beeping.

So many people affected by this disease with a room full getting the magic potion.
One would think it would be sad, but it's a room full of faith,hope,bravery and positive emotions.

All unique in their own special way,
Kicking cancers ass all along the way.