We arrived at the appointed check-in time, 7:30 AM, and after waiting for thirty minutes found out that lab work needed to be done first. A trip downstairs for another blood donation, and waiting for results before we could get started was a little annoying, but now I know the routine for future visits. I'm sure they told me, but it's a lot to take in. First session of chemo was yet another learning experience.
Five bags of fluid hung on my infuser machine. Three small bags of pre-medication to avoid nausea and adverse reactions took about thirty minutes of dripping (a cocktail of Benadryl, Pepcid, and steroid), followed by Herceptin for 90 minutes and then Taxol for the last 90. We left the clinic at 12:30.
My body accepted the first round with little consequence. Diarrhea acted as a nice bowel cleansing, but otherwise no adverse reactions or side effects. The Benadryl made me sleepy, and I got a nice nap in. Future visits will take less drip time now that I am acclimated. These will occur in the afternoons, and I suspect a Thursday afternoon nap will become routine.
Some have asked, so here is the schedule as I currently know it…
- Six months of chemo on Taxol: weekly for three months, then a larger dose every three weeks for the next three months.
- Surgery is not yet scheduled, but will likely be after the six months of chemo, followed by:
- Radiation daily for six weeks.
- One year of weekly chemo treatments on Herceptin, started last week.
- Yes, I will lose my hair, but it's a small price to pay. And, it will grow back!
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Hi Juli! I’m so happy for you guys getting to go to Europe (and a little jealous as well). It sounds like a fantastic trip. Be sure to send me lots of pictures. Thank you for the prayers, and for keeping up with our blog. Love you all! Cindy
Hey Cindy;) All our thoughts and love are with you! Caroline, Jean, Annie, Antoine
Thank you Caroline! You are all very special. I hope we can host a French student this summer. I put together the guest room in anticipation of guests, but we’ll have to wait and see when they do surgery. We really enjoy our Frenchies! Love you guys! Cindy
Thinking and praying for you daily. I know that I told you about Magic Mouthwash, but if you get it before the mouth sores start its better, once they started they multiplied. You might want to bring a snack with you and something to drink, or I would just eat the cookies and drinks they had. Sleep when you want to sleep, but you will probably be sitting up watching tv. On demand is great movies and you can watch a whole season in just a few days, Scandal is great Tim would like it to. Or you can take a sleeping pill. When your hands hurt from typing you can use a software called Dragon which is a voice recognition program. I forgot about the smells, it is almost like being pregnant again. May God continue to bless you and those whom love you. xoxoxo Chris
Hi Chris! I asked about the Magic Mouthwash today and she didn’t think I would get mouth sores for a while, but the doctor can order it. I have a doctor’s appointment next week so I’ll ask. It’s good to have your advice! I couldn’t do much typing today because I was zonked out, same as last week. I think I’m going to resign myself to an afternoon nap every Thursday. 🙂 Love you! Thank you for keeping in touch. Cindy
Thanks for update Cindy. I’ll be checking in on your blog while we’re travelling and continuing to pray for no nasty side effects from your treatment and for you to feel the continual peace of God surrounding you 24/7. Much love, Juli and family xxxxx