Made it through the first one!

Here it is the day after, and I feel normal and look the same. The effects of the chemo are cumulative so I'd better live it up before the fatigue and other bad stuff set in.

The process took about four and a half hours in a recliner in a room with 7 others getting chemo. I felt lucky to have had the port installed so the nurse didn't have to poke around for a vein and I could move my arms without worrying about pulling out the IV as my next chair neighbor did.

The drugs started with Benedryl to counteract the side effects of the second bag which was Avastin designed to cut off the blood supply to the tumor. Next was a bag of antinausea medicine followed by the first chemo drug called Abraxene, then another antinausea bag followed by the second chemo drug called Carboplatin. The finale was a bag of Zometa to protect the bones from the cancer there and then a steroid to counteract something. I sure hope the people in charge of this huge combination were tops in their classes!

For all of you Optimists out there, you might know I wore a Centerville Noon shirt to chemo ready for the big Dragons night afterward. The first nurse who did the fingerstick bloodtest said, "What is a Centerville Noon Optimist?" I explained and she thought that was cool. My main nurse said her husband has been coming to our meetings with someone from his office - don't think I have met him. The last nurse who unhooked the tubes said, "You are the ones that put on the Fishing Derby, right?" She had taken her 6-year-old son for his first time of fishing. She said he had a great time and now wants to go fishing all the time. He really liked his door prizes. Small world!

Thanks for the wonderful messages, thoughts and prayers. They mean more than you can imagine.
Margaret

Today is the day

Thank you all so much for the very positve support. I don't feel alone going to the chemo today. The emotions I feel are indescribable, but must believe we are doing the right thing.
I worked the Dragons game concession stand last night for Springboro and hope to see my Optimist friends at tonight's game. I know we need rain, but sure hope it quits in time to see Laura throw out the first pitch.

I will let you know how it goes today. Thanks for showing so much care and concern. It means a lot.
Margaret

Thanks and update

Thank you, thank you, thank you. The well wishes from all of you have been so inspiring. Thanks for sending.

After working at the OIJGC District Tournament at Weatherwax, Roy and I took off for Dayton and the oncologist's office by MVH. We made it with 4 minutes to spare, then waited for over an hour to see the doctor.

After a few preliminaries, he said, "When do you want to start chemo?" I told him I didn't, but then we went ahead and scheduled it for Friday at 12:30. I will be able to ride the RTA to the office, then Roy will pick me up to go to Optimist night at the Dragons.

The doctor made the chemo sound simple. The nurse who deals with it everyday made it sound more ominous. She had a piece of paper to tell me how to deal with every side effect and the papers fill a two-pocket folder. As soon as I sort out the names of the chemicals I will add them to the post in case anyone has experience to share.

The treatments will be once a week for three weeks, then one week off. That is called a cycle. After three cycles, the PET scan will be repeated to see if the chemo is working. The first treatment will take at least 4 hours, but after that some of them will be shorter.

The follow-up to the gamma knife procedure will be another MRI in six weeks followed by another visit to the neurosurgeon and ?? The port installation is getting more comfortable as the bruising and swelling go away. Dr. Calvo says I won't even notice it soon. I hope he is right.

This post is probably in the TMI category, but read it if you wish. Thanks again for the many replies, cards, calls, flowers, etc. There are certainly a lot of people out there pulling for the right outcome.

Gamma Knife and port installation

Hi everyone,
Wednesday, I had the Gamma Knife procedure to zap three spots in my brain. While it was a long day, the nurses in Gamma Knife were wonderful and made the procedure as pleasant as possible. Diane and Kathy were really great. All I have to show for that are four holes in my head. You all thought I had a lot more than that, I'm sure.

Thursday was the installation of the port where the chemo will be administered. The procedure was just minor surgery and didn't take very long at all. The residual effects have not been very pleasant - pain, bruising, swelling, ugly - but that should all get better.

I will see the oncologist Monday and expect that chemo will start soon. Then I will really have something to complain about. In the meantime, it's full speed ahead.