Chemo round #5 - Finally!

They had rescheduled my treatment for Tuesday and I anxiously checked the weather all weekend since they were calling for a chance of bad weather again that day. I ended up just staying with my parents all weekend after last week's snow and ice instead of trying to go back to my place with slick roads and such. Grandma ended up in the hospital again with pneumonia... it was a rather stressful week. Thankfully she was released on Monday so I went with Dad to help get her home from the hospital. We got her home but only then did dad tell me she was a carrier for MRSA, I wasn't sure what that meant with my low immune system but I would check with the nurses when I went for my treatment.

Thankfully the weather on Tuesday was fine. I asked that the drugs were warmed since I had a bad reaction last time and they were. But I had a different nurse. After the pre-chemo drugs were administered, I asked mom to do a Starbucks run for me. I thought that would keep me nice and warm. The first chemo drug they give me is the Adriamycin and the nurse pushes it instead of an IV drip. This nurse did it pretty quickly and moved on to the Cytoxan. By the time mom got back I was having the pain in the core of my stomach and down my leg like last time. Not as severe as last time, no chills, but an uncomfortable pain. Mom asked for them to slow the treatment down and I snacked on a banana and the chai latte and within a half hour it eased off. Now I'm thinking it's the Adriamycin being pushed to fast that causes the pain. The rest of the treatment went well.

Near the end the nurse said that I would have to reschedule my January 6th office visit. I told her that was my final treatment AND an office visit. This date is THE DATE that I have been counting down to for months and months now. But because of the freaking snow last week, it bumped me back to this week for the treatment and each treatment must be 21 days apart. So initially they scheduled it for January 11th in the afternoon for a three hour treatment. I argued with the lady making the appointment that if I got there before 9am and was leaving after 1pm then it was a 4 hour treatment. But no. The paper said 3 hours, so I was wrong. At that point I was too weak to argue so I just left.

I napped most of that afternoon, usually I don't feel that bad the first day but I did this time. I think it's just building up in me. We went back Wednesday and rescheduled the appointments for January 13 for my final treatment (woo!!!) and January 14 for the office visit and shot. That's later than I was hoping but it works out.

I feel awful today with the pain from yesterday's Neulasta shot. It's rough feeling this bad this close to Christmas. But I just want to be grateful for our time together. Which gets harder every day. I guess Dad is stressing over Grandma being sick because he has been a Scrooge lately. Mom has tried to keep us separated so we don't strangle each other but it's hard feeling bad and then being stuck in the house with a pissy person.

Anyway, I'm hoping that I'll feel well enough to get out for the family get togethers in the next couple of days so I can see everyone. If I don't update again, let me just say, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! :)