My First Time

So far the worst part of chemo is the exhaustion. I am constantly tired but I can't sleep. Unless I medicate with pain or anti-anxiety pills, I cannot stay asleep for longer than 2 hours at a time. And everytime I wake-up, I need to urinate. With the lone bathroom in my house being on another floor than my bedroom, this is an annoyance I could really do without. Plus by the time I shuffle back to bed, one of the cats has claimed more space on the bed than she really needs - an ongoing battle.

Last Tuesday my port was installed. The bruising on my shoulder and arm from the installation procedure was extensive, so the cancer nurses decided that I would receive my first treatment via IV in my arm. Brandon and I spent practically the whole day in the cancer clinic going over the treatment plan, the side effects in detail, and how to live our lives for the next 5 months.

I won't bore you with the not-so lurid details. I had multiple drugs injected into me via IV while I sat in a comfy recliner, ate some lunch and watched a "Law & Order" marathon. The whole chemo process was quite uneventful.

The big excitement for me was from to the redness of one of the chemo drugs, Adriamycin. The drug is bright red My urine was red immediately afterward the injection. My vein also turned red and I had to put an ice pack on it for about 30 minutes before I left the clinic. I am very sensitive. At times I want to think about all this stuff being pumped inside of me but other times I think ignorance is a wonderful state.

One of the any side effects of chemo is urine that can burn other people -- a super power I never thought I would have. In reality all that means is that I must flush twice for about 72 hours after chemo. Then my urine returns to human strength.

Other side effects seem to include lightheaded-ness and achy joints (supposedly more achy joints are to come so I'll be thankful for the little achy right now). I've got 5 more months of fun side effects to discuss so I'll keep you posted as they arrive. If all goes according to plan (and my blood cell count plays along), I should complete chemo in mid-April. Having an end in sight makes all of this seem do-able.