Round Six

Well, it serves me right... I got a little ahead of myself and requested less Benadryl today hoping I could stay awake and get out a bit quicker. I'm not enjoying the 4 hour drip after the trip downtown to the hospital for blood work and a check-in with the doctor. They said they could cut the Benadryl in half since I didn't have a reaction last time. Unfortunately after a few minutes on the drip I started to have intense throbbing in my lower back. The nurses reacted very promptly stopping the drip, checking my vitals, flushing me out and giving me the rest of my Benadryl. Grr!! And, on top of it all, it added about 30 minutes to my time. I won't do that again!

Overall, I'm doing just fine now. I was exhausted while in the chair and on the way home, but I think the Benadryl is wearing off now.

Since I was there so late, I was one of the last to leave... which means it was the perfect time to take a couple of pictures. This is what a chemo chair looks like...



It reclines nicely and they give you a heated blanket. Very cozy! There is a pull-out TV and pop up table as well. I feel sorry for the guests who have to sit in the other chair. The IV pole is portable so I'm not totally stuck in the chair for 4 hours. I can take bio breaks.

The room itself is very open. It is rectangular with chairs all the way around the outside of the room. There is a large rectangular nursing station in the middle and the pharmacy is in one corner.

In case you were wondering as I was before my first round, you do get to wear your own clothes while in the chair as long as the neck hole in your shirt is large enough to access the port. Now that there is no way I can go to work after, I should consider wearing PJs!

Another chemo-related development is the significant loss of eyelashes. I have a large gap on the lower lid of my right eye and another large gap on the upper lid of my left eye. I don't think anybody can really notice it with my glasses. What I'm really worried about is losing my eyebrows. They are significantly thinner than they were pre-chemo, but they're still covering the necessary surface area. I know I'm going to lose them, but I'm really hoping it will be after Christmas. From what I read it isn't uncommon for them to go after chemo is over... one more kick in the pants. When it happens, I'll deal with it... but I won't enjoy it!

Here's the really good news... ONLY TWO MORE ROUNDS TO GO!! And, I'm 75% DONE.