One Down! Five to Go!

Truly the finger cutting was a big distraction for me.  I was not nervous at all to start today, despite all of the nervous build up to this day.  I got to wear my new chemo shirt from my friend, thank you!  And my cute cat socks from my friend, thank you!

I arrived at the office for bloodwork to check my counts before starting.  I didn't go to the correct phlebotomy room so they thought I wasn't there and gave the large window room away.  Lesson learned. 

I met with the oncologist who shared with me the results of the PET scan. He was pleased to see that there was no significant activity in the lymph nodes. He did note that the thymoma was a hot spot, but of course there is nothing we can do about that now; we'll address that many months from now, and I agree with his suggestion to compartmentalize that in a separate part of my mind for now. 

Finally I made it back to my room (#1) and the nurse attached the IV to my port which I was scared would hurt but instead was a tiny prick and the needle was in the button. Amazing!  I was given a cocktail of Benadryl, anti-nausea and anti-diarrheal meds to stave off any reactions.

Next, I began the process of cold capping.  For those of you not familiar with this process, the idea is to freeze the blood vessels to prevent the chemo from getting to the hair follicles in order to prevent hair loss, similarly with hands and feet to avoid neuropathy or nerve damage to the extremities. There are no guarantees, of course, but it's certainly worth the effort to potentially spare myself complete hair loss. 

I had to wet my hair and put on a cap filled with a liquid that is hooked up to an air-conditioner-like machine and the liquid is kept ice cold on my head. I then put on a neoprene cap to keep it in place. 

I'm ready for my water polo match!

I put on my ice mittens and ice booties, warmed up my seat and covered myself with a nice blanket, thanks my friend.

Finally the long process began - one hour for the first med, one hour for the next med, one and a half hours for the third med, and one hour for the fourth med, followed by a one hour observation!

I had some wonderful family and friends keep me company in rotation, and the great news is that by the end of it all, I felt totally fine!!  I didn't have any aches or pains or sickness, what a blessing!!

I came home to spend time with my family and friends, peacefully sitting on the sofa and was even able to eat a proper dinner. I made the trek to CVS to get some OTC meds to help me if things go awry, and I definitely felt the challenge.  I could feel like I was not putting in much effort, but my heart rate going up.  I shouldn't be surprised, but it was a good warning not to push myself too much!  So tomorrow I will take it easy, try to move my body as much as I can to keep up my strength, watch what I eat, drink plenty of fluids, and continue to thank God for this first day and the challenge overcome. Thank you for your prayers of faith, thank you for the prayers of peace and courage that helped me to get through this! Thank you!