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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