Well Yesterday we got things under way. Kevin and I hopped into the car just after 8 am, and drove down to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary for my first round of chemo.
The day before we got things started with a couple doses of steroids, dexamethasone, morning of more dex and some zolfran for nausea.
I barely slept the night before. Likely a combo of nerves and the dex, and Marshall waking me up at 1:30 in the morning.
Anyways, hospitals are beautifully empty on weekends, chemo Saturdays are the way to go in my opinion. My nurse Brenda was absolutely lovely, and everyone loved my chemo crocks and matching lulu sweater. My fresh blue hair was also a hit.
I got situated into my comfy recliner, and hooked up to my iv (hopefully I'll have a port by next time) and we spent the next 6 or so hours running drugs or saline.
The Herceptin first over 90 minutes was no problem. Then a 1 hour watch period with just saline.
The Docetaxel is the worse culprit for peripheral neuropathy, so we iced my hands and feet for the hour on that one. I definitely was watching the clock the whole time.
Then finished with the Carboplatin over an hour. That was the only one with a noticeable side effect, just in the last 10 minutes of the transfusion did my vein decide it had had enough. Lots of burning and stinging. But a warm compress and a flush with a sugar solution afterwards helped quite a lot. It's still a super tender vein today, but there are worse things.
On the drive home I had such a wave of fatigue, we pulled into our driveway just after 5 and I was straight to sleep until 7. Finished the day by celebrating the Leafs finally making it out of the first round of the playoffs (in 19 years) and tucking my kiddos into bed. Then Kevin and I went for a nice cool evening walk up the road, 2km round trip and I slept like the dead last night.
Not too bad for my first day. For next time we need to do a better job of packing some real food and not just a big bag of snacks for the day. We watched some Walking Dead (Kevin has never watched and when started back at season 1 just after I was diagnosed, we're part way through season 3 now). And I even got some knitting done.
Now we see how my body reacts to all these drugs, I've heard the next few days can be a ride for sure.
Oh and before I forget, I went public with my diagnosis on the old social medias yesterday, and the steady stream of kindness, love and well wishes all day where a massive lift to my spirits and really did make the day a wonderfully special one. Thanks ever so much to everyone who liked a post, left me a comment or sent me a DM. It really means the world.
