T Minus 11 and counting…

So today was the first chemo treatment – 1 down, 12 to go. So far, I don’t feel any major effects, other than my new port hurting a bit. It’s under bandages for now, so you’ll have to wait for the gruesome photography.

I really feel for the people who had to go through thisin the old days, however. They gave me an anti-nausea drug through the port and it’s supposed to last 72 hours. I don’t feel sick, but my belly feels… weird. I would think that if it weren’t for the drug they gave me, I’d probably be puking my lungs out. As it is, I’ll just need to get up and sit down a little slower than usual to prevent all the weird gurgles.

The treatment today was grueling. Well, maybe not quite, since “grueling” sounds rather horrid and torturous (I’ll be amazed if I spelled that right). It was long, tiring and a touch boring. Our day at the hospital started at 6:45 AM for the port placement, then we went over tto the doctor’s office for a quick visit with the doc, some bloodwork, then the treatments. We didn’t leave until 3:45. Ugh… This one took a bit longer than usual because they had to give me some of the drugs a little at a time to make sure I wouldn’t be allergic to the contents. Next time should take two or three hours, I think someone said.

As for the visit with the doctor, I definitely have stage 4B Hodgkin’s Disease. The “B” means that I’m showing symptoms of Hodgkin’s, and the “4” means the cancer has spread out of my lymphatic system. The nodules they saw in my lungs actually are cancer. Of course, now that I’m out of the office, I’m wondering if this means I now have to go through some more extraordinary measures. Like, does this mean I have lung cancer, or does this mean I have Hodgkin’s Disease in my lungs? I gotta write that down for next time.

Tomorrow I get to go in for a shot of Neuplasta, I think it’s called. When I remember/am up to it, I’ll scan a portion of the flyer they gave me. In it, they say that it has been proven to increase white blood cell count in people with all kinds of cancer, including the Hodge. Next to the Hodge, there are some bibliographic-type superscripts. You look down at the page and discover where they pulled the information on Hodgkin’s effectiveness. It was from the drug facts sheet THAT COMES WITH THE MEDICATION!!! Are they really allowed to do that? “Our product will heal you, because it says so right on the box.” Oh man.

For now, I’m going to hobble back downstairs for some TeeVee, as my hands are feeling a little shaky and my brain is tired of keeping up with all the typos.