Just A Few for Days of Chemo Left.

Getting treated by a Dr. you trust and facility that specializes in cancer, not just blood disorders, makes all the difference in the world. Having my chemo done at Medical City has been a much better experience than my previous place. For example, my last doctor never ordered an echo cardiogram, which I was supposed to have before I even started treatment to make sure my heart was strong enough to handle what I was being given. At Medical City, the chemo is ordered through the hospital pharmacy and they would not mix my medicine until I had one done. That being said, it took a little bit longer to get started on round 5 because I had to go down to radiology and have that done first. I am so glad to be having this all done in a hospital where they can do everything in one place. Thankfully, my heart is fine and we were able to proceed. Chemo #5 has gone pretty good so far. I am on day 3 now and besides being tired and a little more nauseous than usual I don’t feel near as bad as I have from my past 4 treatments. We'll see how things are tomorrow, because days 3 -5 are always when the worst part kicks in, but so far so good. I don’t know if it is because she reduced my chemo by 10%, if it's because actual pharmacists are mixing my medicine (and not nurses), or if it is all of the above, but I am definitely feeling a lot better about these last 2 treatments and I'm not as scared. My doctor was honest with me though, which is great because she is actually telling me what’s going on, unlike the past Dr. who told me nothing. She said I have a 50/50 chance of a return hospital visit but we are going to start an oral antibiotic tomorrow to try and keep that from happening. The good thing is, god forbid I do have to go to the hospital, I can call her and she will call the hospital and have a room and orders ready so that I do not have to go through ER. Crossed fingers I do not have to go because I do not like the side effects of IV antibiotics.

Day 4 after treatment and I'm in a little more pain than usual. On the plus side, still no fevers. On the negative side, the shot they give to stimulate the white blood cells in my bone marrow is really taking a toll this round. I feel like I have been body slammed. Maybe it is working really well and keeping me from having fevers and that’s why it hurts so much. I have been feeling fluey and achy as to be expected. I am hoping by the day after tomorrow it will subside and I will be starting to feel a little better.

Chemo #5 was definitely the easiest. No fevers, no infections. The funny thing is that I am just now starting to lose my eyelashes and eyebrows, yet my hair on my head is starting sprout back.  My nausea did last a little longer, but that was because I didn’t take as much anti-nausea meds as I usually do.  Again, I don’t know if it is because my medicines were reduced by 10%, if it is because the chemicals were actually mixed by the hospital pharmacy, if it is because I had time to let my body heal from # 4, or all of the above. I only hope that the last round goes as easy, if not easier, than this one. 1 more week until #6, which is the final round…yay!!!!!! Once I finish chemo. I will be going in for a double mastectomy in mid-June. I am pretty confident that my road after chemo will be a lot easier. It’s still a long road, with multiple surgeries and radiation, but I feel good about it and will be happy when it is all done and I can put it all behind me.