Chemo #1

As the last few drops of chemo run through mom's port, she's feeling okay and even letting me take pictures of her! Of course, she held up her index finger in one picture to document "Chemo #1," and in the next picture, she flicked off the machines, so she's still got that "Screw Cancer" attitude and a nice sense of humor. All-in-all the morning has gone smoothly - just pretty long. We got here around 8:15 so she could see the doctor first. Meds were taken last night and again this morning before even coming here. Then, around 9:30, they called her back to start the treatments. Before the official chemo began, the nurse administered a round of steroids, Benedryl, and anti-nausea meds. Then, they started with a 15-20 minute round of Adriamycin (the "hair-loss" med, as she calls it). It's red and is given through a syringe. Then, Cytoxan, which took about an hour. Finally, a 45 minute round of Taxotere before one short round of saline. All of these drugs have miserable side-effects, but not everyone experiences them. So, we'll see how she responds to them. It's both sad and uplifting to be around all these survivors - with and without hair, with and without fingernails, with and without energy... everyone's experience is different, so there's no telling what will happen in the coming days, weeks, and months. But, today has been okay so far. I think the experience of being here with Mom today has taught me several things: not to listen to the misery of others, as each of our bodies are different - horror stories (and even positive, uplifting stories) are really not helpful; the actual distribution of the chemo is not scary - Mom slept on and off as we watched a funny movie to occupy the time and our minds; chemo is not just the actual "chemo" treatments - she still has more meds to take when we get home and in the coming days (she's one walking pharmacy!).

Tomorrow, she comes back to get a shot, and day 3 will really be a telling point, so the doctors tell us. Hair loss typically happens between days 14-17, so she's finishing up her hair products and cherishing the time she has left with a full, gorgeous head of hair. She's looking at her hair-loss as liberating, and she's motivated to have fun with her new look. She knows her hair will grow back; she's more worried about the long-term effects chemo can have on the body (heart damage, bone damage, joint pain) and the temporary possibilities of infection she can't fight off and leukemia. It's amazing to think about the risks of this drug - a drug I'm glad doctors and researchers have found but could potentially cause future harm. BUT - we are being very optimistic - and Mom's quite a trooper!

Well, the nurse is ready to wrap things up here, so gotta wrap up this post. We're about to schedule her next round of treatment - 3 weeks from now. And, as I type, Mom just asked, "Where are we going for lunch?" I just smiled back - glad that she's up for food and going somewhere!