October 25, 2007 - My first chemo treatment - All went well.  Gerald and I arrive to see my oncologist.  I'm seated and fill out some paperwork.  IT IS AT LEAST 32°FAHRENHEIT IN THE ROOM......ABSOLUTELY FREEZING!!!!!  I'm weighed and my vitals are taken.  The nurse cleans my skin near the port and tells me that he is going to give me some "pre-meds" (medicine to help with possible side effects of the chemo) first and then I'd receive the actual chemo.  The pre-meds included something for nausea and vomiting, allergic reactions and fever.  When he accessed my port, it reminded me of the what my girls may have felt when they got their ears pierced.  I heard a loud click and that was essentially it.....it happened rather quickly and before I knew it, I was getting the medicine.

While I received the pre-meds, I was given some information about the drugs I would be given and their possible side effects.  I would be receiving a combination of Taxol/Carboplatin once a week for three weeks and I'd be off for blood testing on the fourth week and I would come in each Monday for blood tests to monitor my white blood cell count.  (This would be considered "Round One" of my treatments and I could potentially have from 10 to 12 rounds of chemo.  All of my Round One entries will be on this page.)  I received the Taxol for a period of three hours and the Carboplatin over another hour.  There are quite a few potential side effects that patients experience when taking this drug combination.  If I experience any of it, I'll let you know...but the ones I've heard about or been asked about most often involve nausea and vomiting, fatigue and hair loss.

I didn't know what to expect so I brought several things to read, a DVD player with a couple of DVDs and some cards to write some thank you notes.  I ended up for the most part covering myself as if I were in a cocoon with about 5 blankets from head to toe cause this had to be the coldest room in Houston, Texas on this day! 

It's only been a day since the treatment and I feel just fine.  I haven't slept yet....for some reason I was very alert the entire night after the treatment and I feel like I need to sleep, but it just ain't comin.   Thank you all for your continued encouragement, calls and niceties towards me.  All for now.

October 29, 2007 - I went  to have my blood tested to see if my red and white blood cell counts were where they were supposed to be.  Historically...nah...bad word choice...In the past, although I've generally been quite healthy, my white blood cell count has always been just below the lower range of "Normal",  and even when they checked my blood before my first treatment on last week, my levels were right below the mark.  So, it was really no surprise to me when they told me that my white blood cell count was much lower than normal and that they needed to inject me with some Nupetin (sp) to stimulate my bone marrow to promote more white blood cell growth.  White blood cells help to fight off infection.  (Lower white blood cell levels is a side effect.)  Fine.  The nurse tells me that he can inject me in my arm or in my stomach.  Yes...you read it right......my stomach. ( I reacted the same way! )  He noted that if he did it in the arm, it would probably be more painful cause the arm has more nerves in it and that a lot of people have it injected into their bellies cause there's usually more fat there - no disagreement with that at all!  Whoa....nah....uhm...maybe....you said it would be less painful huh?  Now, I can and have tolerated more pain this year than any other time in my life, but I would have never imagined that I would have consciously agreed to be injected with anything to my abdomen/stomach.....BUT I DID.  (I didn't even know the option existed.  Besides, my poor arm needed a break!)  It took the nurse a minute to do it cause every time he got near my stomach, I stopped him.  It was SOOO funny....this guy was really serious about sticking me in my stomach!!!   He patiently waited till I got it together and gave it to me.  Done.  Not bad.... I'm growin' yall!!!!!

November 1, 2007 - Ahhh....it really WAS freezing in the infusion room last week!  The air conditioning system was out of whack and had recently been repaired.  It was very comfortable in the room when I arrived for my second treatment.  My intention was to spend my time reading, but once I was given my pre-meds, (which contain agents to make me drowsy), I was sound asleep.  I kept trying to wake up as the hours passed, but I just couldn't.  It looks like my treatments will take most of the day each time....from around 9 am to 3 pm.

It is Sunday, November 4, 2007 and the weekend for the most part was quite crappy for me.  (Now crappy for me isn't really bad...it's just that.....crappy.)  I didn't get sick from the chemo, but I could tell that I was coming down with what I thought would be a cold. (Jaysen had a runny nose and cough recently and then Gerald started showing signs of getting sick.  It's not so easy to isolate myself, but I thought I did fairly well.)  I woke up on Saturday morning with a sore throat and initially, I thought I'd just deal with it, but as the day went on, it seemed to get worse.  I called my oncologist to see if there was something I could take and he prescribed an antibiotic for me.  I took it and I thought I would feel better rather quickly, but instead, it made me feel purty bad.  I broke out into a sweat and I began to feel really faint.  This feeling stayed with me for the rest of Saturday and most of today....it didn't matter if I tried lying down or if I tried to busy myself....the feeling would not go away and I kept thinking that I would just fall out.  My sore throat, however, has subsided, so I'm good.

I did get a chance to pick up my breast prosthesis.  It was rather simple.  I expected to be measured and try a variety of breast forms, fill out some paperwork, order the prosthesis and wait a few weeks till the prosthesis arrived.  (Of course I know nothing about how this all works and I'm so glad my expectations were exceeded.)  I just went to a local prosthesis shop/storefront and told them what I wanted.  They took my bra size, showed me a variety of bras to hold the prothesis and had one available in my size and color and that was it.  I left with a new bra and a new breast prosthesis.  (I was getting used to wearing an insert I had or even nothing and I was perfectly fine with this, so this has all been a bonus for me.  YEA! )

November 5, 2007 - Yup....my white blood cell levels were low again.  No surprise to me, especially since I was not feeling my best over the weekend.  I had to get one more injection of Neupogen.  This time I took it in my arm.  No biggie.

November 12, 2007 – I went in for my complete blood count and AGAIN my white blood cell level was very low.  I knew it immediately…..I saw the assistant walking with a syringe towards me and I was hoping she’d pass me by.  I mustered a half smile as she approached me.  Her eyes understood me.  ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!  Although I’m sure I can, I don’t want to get used to getting these injections weekly!  Today, there was no talk about where I would receive the injection and there was certainly no laughter….I just sat there and took my Neupogen injection like a big girl, darn it! 

Oh yea…my treatment on last Thursday went well….I slept through most of it.  Still feelin' fine.   

November 15, 2007 -  No chemo today!  I met with my oncologist to talk about my progress and discuss any issues I was having.  He told me that he thought that my treatments were going well and that he was pleased with how I've responded to the them.  I agreed.  I'm extremely grateful that I haven't had any problems with the chemo.  It's not so easy for some....each week as I've received my treatments, I've observed a few patients who are receiving treatments who either look ill or who are experiencing major side effects from their treatments, so I count my experience as a blessing.

On to Round Two!!!

Thank you....Nicole Thomas, Allison Nelson, Sandy, Debbie, Bobbie, Randy F., Allen, Bryan, Bill, Jerry, Patty G, Cherita, Jackie D, James, Shamann, Reginald, Carter, Leonard, Nola