Infusion 2 of 4

Yesterday was my second infusion. Two down. Two to go.

Start Time: 9:45 AM 
 
First thing I do is go to the blood lab. They had a little trouble accessing my port, however after trying several different positions (sitting up, leaning forward, laying down, leaning forward with one are up and head turned) we finally gained access. The last resort would have been to inject an enzyme that breaks down any fibrous tissue that has formed and wait an hour or so then try again. Modern medicine is cool! 

Second thing I do is go see my oncologist. He is awesome, his staff is awesome. I reported on my last three weeks he told me my blood counts were great then we moved onto non cancer related topics. He's a prolific photographer and has hung several of his images in the office. There is a Seattle skyline image w/ an orange sky that would look perfect in my home. Although he spends the majority of his day accessing a computer he is not a techie gadget guy and I'm going to try and convince him to get an iPod. He is resistant. Next infusion I'm bringing in my PAX vaporizer and showing him the latest technology there.

Last thing I do is head to what I have dubbed the Chemo Lounge. They access my port and I show them the lean way forward, one arm up, head to the side trick... boom... we have access. I can sit up for the rest of the infusions. We start with popping a benedryl and three anti nausea meds, then comes the first chemo drug Taxotere followed by a port flush and second chemo drug Cytoxan. I believe it ends with another saline flush and maybe some heparin. By this time I'm feeling tired and unfocused. 

End Time: 3:15 PM

Side note: Now that my hair is falling out and I am easily recognized as a Chemo Girl I am part of a club. Other patients give me the knowing nod, smiles, and some even approach to chat. The nurses & hospital staff gave a lot of positive feedback about my hair. Friends/family also giving me lots of love about the new do. I started sharing my blog (reluctantly) yesterday. Last thing I want to do is bore anyone. I had a boss once who told me his biggest fear was being boring. I related to him completely.