Chemo #1

Well, that was a walk in the park but very, very interesting.....read on, my friends, read on.....

So we get there and we're taken right in. I had my mom & dad and Andrew there for my first chemo party. Felt good walking in with my fanclub/entourage!!

First thing they do is prick your finger and take a sample. Then blood pressure (it was high), temperature (it, too, was high) and questions. The doctor came in and she was giving me info and then got up to listen to my breathing. This is when the excitement started. Now, ya'd think it was my breathing, right? Oh no, my dear friends, oh no. Andrew (who was standing up until this time) said to my dad "Don, can I sit down there, please?" My dad gets up and we all look at Andrew and he's ghostly white!! I really mean ghostly - even his lips were white. Well, the doctor leaves me immediately and goes to him, tells the nurse to call 911 and they're all taking his blood pressure (70/40) and getting him to put his head between his knees. Then the EMT's show up and take over and my mom, dad and I are escorted out of the room.

In the end, he was taken to ER and my dad went with him. He gets "woozy" at the sight of blood and I guess that and eating no lunch and being anxious about his beautiful, beloved wife going through chemo got to him. He's fine, now. No problem. After all the tests in the hospital, we also know that his heart is healthy and strong. I have banned him from attending any further chemo parties!! Banned!!!

So, my mom and I went to the chemo room. I was the only one there. They got me all hooked up (this port thing is fabulous!!), it didn't hurt, I didn't feel it, I just sat there and said a little prayer that my friend Ruth wrote for me and welcomed the chemo into my body so it can slay any renegade cells that may have escaped. Then I did some visualization a la pac man. I envisioned pac man running around my body eating up anything bad. My mom went to the pharmacy for some extra nausea drugs and by the time she got back I was finished. It took an hour and 15 minutes. That's it.

We got home and I went to bed to eat some popsicles - the nurse told me to. She also said I should eat ice cream so I'm thinking Dairy Queen!! woohoo!!!! - these are to help prevent mouth sores. I'm just sittin' there watching tv and Kevin appears at my door. OMG!! He had shaved his head!! That gorgeous curly hair - gone!! He did it for me. OK, I'm crying again. That was such an amazing show of support and he had been planning it. His friends from school knew. Wow. And...I can't believe how much he looks like my brother - only Kevin has a chin - I don't say this in a mean way - my brother has a beard for a reason. LOL!!!

Also, today. Right before I left for chemo, a beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived from my Aunt, Uncle, Cousins and their kids and spouses. They are soooo beautiful!! Pink. Lots of pink. Thank you so much, you guys!! I love you!! Can I say what the card said on the blog? Let me know. Really great!

And...I've gotten my first t-shirt with Cancer Sucks on it - well, other than the one I bought myself. This, too, is amazing. It is from a girl I have never even met. I have a friend at work named Jimmy. He's my best friend at work and he has a girlfriend named (sorry if I mess up the spelling!) Cyrene. Previously she made me a flower arrangement and now she sent a teal t-shirt to me. I repeat, I have never even met her!!!!

OK, I gotta go. I have to go have another popsicle and drink lots - oh! Now I get to have pink pee from one of the chemo drugs. They warned me and I love that it's pink.

As Donny and Marie would say,
G'night Everybody!

Just thought I'd point out that Donny's birthday party is in Vegas this weekend so if anyone wants to attend, you probably could. His actual birthday is in 24 days, just so you know. He's a little bit country, she's a little bit rock and roll...you know I know the whole song but there's still time for that.