New Beginnings - New Chemo Drugs

Today was chemo day. My chemo drugs were changed. Woo Hoo!

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These are 'lighter' than the previous four chemo sessions. No coldness. I didn't feel anything.

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Of course it wasn't all fantastic. The nurse who inserted the needle into my port used a short needle, I need a long. Since she was wearing gloves, another nurse handed her the sterile long needle. It went in with a slight snap that I could feel. (No pain.)

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Then they push in fluid to flush the port, and when they draw back on the syringe, blood is supposed to come into the needle so that they know that the chemo drugs will enter the blood stream. If it doesn't, well, the talk about the chemo drugs eating your flesh comes to mind.

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She didn't get any blood back. She asked for another syringe, again, no blood. Two syringes later, with three nurses in my cubicle, they asked me to raise my left arm in the air several times, and that did the trick. The dh was standing outside the cubicle, but knew something wasn't going well, as it was out of the norm.

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After starting the chemo, I laid back in the lounge chair. It was one of the ones that are difficult to get out of. They also push saline solution along with the chemo drugs, I imagine to dilute it. With all the fluids going in, a loo break is a necessity.

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For some reason, I was restless. Maybe, it was the Restless Leg Syndrome, though the extra Iron I take daily has alleviated most of movement. I sat at the edge of the lounge chair. One of the nurses asked me if I needed anything, but I told her no.

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I have to say, that the nurses, who are very attentive to their patients, and the other patients around them. You don't necessarily get the same nurse all the time, but if one is busy and your machine starts to beep, meaning that one of the bags is on empty and either needs to be changed, or that you're through and can go home, another nurse will step in and take care of you.

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So, once we finished, it was noon. The dh took me out to eat. Since we will be going on Wednesdays for the next eleven weeks. I need to see if they have other restaurants in Alexandria that we haven't tried out yet. He likes Mediterranean food, so since next Wednesday is his birthday, that might be a neat surprise.

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So, as my son says, "It's all good."

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And it is. I am truly blessed.

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Get your mammogram. I do care.

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