Chemo Cycle 1

Cycle 1 of Adriamycin and Cytoxan

I barely slept the night before, between the soreness of the port and my nervousness of this day.

The nurse had told me to put the Lidocaine cream on an hour before my appointment & cover it with saran wrap. She didn't specify how much to use. (remember this)

I went in expecting it to hurt like hell from beginning to end. I was scared...shitless. 

Brandon came with me. He took the day off work to keep me company & hold my hand when necessary. Nonna took the boys for the day, she dropped T off at school & got to play with Liam all day. 

When we arrived at the infusion center, I registered and everyone in the front was very welcoming. They showed us around the center, introduced the nurses at each station, bathrooms, coffee machine & snacks. She took me to my station for this infusion, introduced us to Irma, my nurse for the day. I got to sit in a corner seating area. The walls come out to create a nice private seating area, there was a TV, wifi, I got a comfy recliner with massage (vibrations) and heating and a pillow. Brandon got a chair. A regular, uncomfortable waiting room looking chair. His poor back, is all I kept thinking. I felt so bad. 

Irma sat with us explained the premeds, treatment, possible side effects and how to manage it all. 

Getting prepped to have the port accessed, the nurse wiped the lidocaine off. She told me that next time I need to use more lidocaine, like icing on on a cake. Well, I wish they would have told me this beforehand. This lady put what felt like all of her might into getting the needle in the port. I held Brandon's hand so tight, poor man. 

Port was accessed. It hurt like hell but we got blood return so we're good to go.

Watch the 1st dose of Adriamycin / Doxorubicin. People call it the Red Devil because the side effects of it are hellish. The good thing is the steroids, benadryl, Zofran and hydration make it much less miserable. The infusion didn't hurt at all, it definitely didn't burn like I was expecting to. 😁

Adriamycin

We high-five when the red started coming up the line. Like a little victory, I'm going to kick this cancers ass. Come hell or high waters, I will survive.  

The infusion takes forever, 3-4 hours, I don't know I stopped counting. I felt awful for Brandon. That chair does not look comfortable. He dozed off a few times but got no rest. I'm not kidding when I say this takes forever. Even I got bored and restless. I brought snacks and drinks and coloring books and ear buds to watch TV but there's only so much of nothing one can do when you're used to always being on the go. This is going to be a learning experience for sure.

I left with the port accessed because having it accessed hurt like hell. I'm not about to get poked again the next day.

 I survived cycle 1.  

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POST CYCLE 1

Cycle 1 Day 2

The day after chemo I went back for "hydration". I think it helped pass the chemo quicker. It was just an IV drip containing sodium chloride. It's meant to flush the chemo drugs faster while preventing dehydration.

Cycle 1 Day 4

Day 4 I woke up looking like a corpse. Absolutely no skin color, dark circles around my eyes. I literally looked like the walking dead. I felt alright, tired/fatigued, no appetite and rapid heat rate, but alright. I had no nausea as I was taking the Zofran around the clock. I did my make up 1st thing in the morning. I went to Target at like 8am, store opening. I figured this would be the least busiest time. I needed to get outside. By 10am I was ready for bed again. The worst side effect is fatigue. It's rough when you're used to getting up and going whenever you want and the simplest task becomes cumbersome. The nurses all tell me to take it easy, and I swear I'm trying but come on! I can't stay cooped up in the house with the kids all day, we all go stir crazy. Its maddening.