Chemo # 3 is history. V picked me up Wed morning and we were able to have coffee and a little breakfast and visit before she dropped me off. The Cancer Center was a humming hive. I saw Dr. R, and it was - I am a little chagrined to say - a good visit. Perhaps because my second chemo went so much better than my first. She said I was doing very well, my blood counts are good and so on. I actually asked her if the fact that my blood counts are good and I feel so well could mean that the chemo isn't doing what it should be doing. She laughed; she said it was the first time anyone ever asked her that question. And she reassured me that it doesn't mean that, just that the new anti-nausea meds and the NuLasta shot are able to really improve the experience for many cancer patients. (Interestingly I ran into Dr. R in Whole Foods on Thursday afternoon; she recognized me and came over and asked how I was feeling. It was strange to see her in such a different context but nice.)
My appointment with Dr. R was at 9:10 and I was done by 9:30. I went to the back chemo group room that they call China because it's so far from the front entrance to the center, and there was a waiting line to get chemo. I kid you not. There were, I think, 8 treatment chairs. They were all full and 3 or so people in them hadn't even gotten started yet. I got a chair after about an hour and about an hour after that I started chemo, so I was done about 3:00 pm. I met an interesting couple; the woman, L., is the cancer patient, and with her was her husband D. She is a retired teacher, he a retired postal worker. She is facing her second bout with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She was going to get chemo on Wed, but her blood counts weren't good so she had to receive whole blood. She was there almost as long as me just to receive a pint of blood. I think they were backed up because of the holiday. Anyway, I felt for her - she, her husband and I enjoyed talking for several hours - about books, about politics - the bad "healthcare" bill - etc. It sounds like she's had a rough road, needing many blood transfusions over the course of her treatment. But her spirits were good and she was positive.
I learned that the Cancer Center was closing at noon on Thursday and I couldn't get my NuLasta shot until 3:00 pm (must be minimum of 24 hours after chemo is finished). So there was a bit of a ruckus solving the issue. Nurse E was able to find a nurse at the hospital to agree to do it, and set up an appointment for me to go to the nursing station there at 3:00 on Thurs.
I worked Thursday morning, went into the office, very busy in our little group with our end-of-year urgent matters, but on the whole many many people out on vacation. I went to the hospital and got the shot. I had a nice brief chat with my daughter who called to check on me. She arrived in Atlanta and was staying with her cousin A, who has a baby that is about 15 months old I think. Last night I was wiped out and just slightly nauseous, not throwing up level, just affecting what I felt like eating. I ended up eating just some good sour dough bread David had bought, but couldn't get down much of the chicken soup he had so kindly made. I ended up falling asleep on the couch by 6:30 or 7:00 I think, getting up later to get into bed.
This morning I had arranged to meet H at 6:30 am and we took a long walk - with Jessie - through the neighborhood and to the park (I usually drive to the park and do my walking there) - and that was good. In general I felt better, still tired and still just the slightest bit nauseous, but I admit I was eating odd things today - nuts and candy and cookies that were gifts. I did have orange juice and a bowl of cereal this morning. I am starting to have some bone ... discomfort ... from the NuLasta shot. I wouldn't (yet) call it pain, but I may take a Motrin before bed. I had another chat with my daughter, and a lovely long call with Aunt M and C - wish I could be there to share Aunt M's chicken dinner tonight - and a brief call with my brother J. David had a long chat with his niece S; we hope to make it up to visit her and her family in Maine before too long. David seems to be fighting a cold and I think is generally tired from his work, from getting our place ready for my kids' visit and from the visit itself. I hope he can fight it off and it doesn't spoil his time off - he has a rare 4 nights off of work in a row.
Well, that's it for now. For anyone reading this, please offer a little prayer for the sweet lady L that I met in the chemo room on Wed and for all the others everywhere that face disease, poverty, hunger, oppression, war. A prayer for peace. A prayer to hold on to hope in dark times.
Peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment