Me and my mom left the house at roughly 6:15 as it takes 2 hours to get to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia from where I live. Unfortunately with traffic we got there right on time for my 9 o'clock appointment. It was no problem though.
First I had some tests done such as more blood work, and measuring my weight. Then, I was sat down in this room that was pretty public with other people also receiving treatments there. The nurse came over and asked me if I wanted to be in private room, and I quickly said yes. The room was a simple room, but it was very nice to be in there especially for the first treatment because there were a lot of people we talked to from the U of P team and it is easier to focus in a quiet room.
Since I wasn't scheduled to get my port installed into my chest until later that afternoon, I got my first chemo treatment through my arm. It didn't seem too bad at first, but there are a few shortcomings to not getting the treatment through the port.
1. The treatment takes longer because the port allows up to 2 IVs to run at the same time(the treatment took 3 hours).
2. My arm got really irritated with the chemo meds that they game me(which happens often when it is administered through the arm.) The nurse did everything she could do, but sometimes it is inevitable.
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| My arm hurt a lot after the treatment |
I didn't feel any different as I got the drugs, but I did have to pee a lot. And when I say a lot I mean it. I went to the bathroom like 6-8 times in a 3 hour period. The drugs themselves looked a little bit intimidating like there is one that is nicknamed the "red devil" because it is dyed red and it is the strongest chemotherapy out there. It also turned my pee red which was kind of funny. My mom was upset when I was getting the treatment, which is normal, but I wasn't. I was happy to finally get going on the road to recovery.
So after getting my treatment, I went to the U of P hub. I got my port put in there. There isn't much for me to say about this because I got anesthesia and I was out for the whole thing. One funny thing to note was how nervous I was before it. Before they injected me with the anesthesia, my heart rate was 120 bpm. Even though I was cool and calm on the outside, that wasn't the case at all. The surgeons had a good laugh about that.
The most difficult thing about the whole first day of treatment was the fact that I couldn't eat or drink until I got the port installed. When I was finished with everything I was very drained of energy, and I felt like garbage. It was a long 3 hour trip back, but I fell asleep as soon as I got home.
Luckily for me, the next day was a completely different story. I didn't feel nauseated at all; in fact I was starving and I pretty much feasted all day. I felt back to normal after eating. The only pain I had was where the port was installed. I also didn't like the fact that I couldn't shower either.
Today was a bit more difficult than yesterday. I was nauseated big time especially in the morning hours. The anti-nausea drugs were a big help today, and I was able to enjoy my favorite pizza later in the day because of the meds. Tony's extra cheese pizza! I also got a shower today, but I had to cover the wound so it wouldn't get infected. I felt so good to be clean!
Now I have a break from chemo. My next treatment begins on the 16th and will be one week long. In the next week or so I will see some physical changes such as hair loss. I'm not looking forward to potentially losing my eyebrows haha.
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