Round 1 is done and dusted
Ok, I am guilty for not sharing my post any earlier on this. My energy level was so low that I had to muster myself out of bed, take a shower and eat when I am hungry. So here is the low down on what happened on the day. Having a pretty good idea from the first batch of chemo, I knew the drill as soon as I stepped into the clinic.
First task is to get a blood test done. Blood drawn and sent to the lab to test for cancer markers so fast that I didn’t have time to leave my butt imprint on the seat. Normally I would have to wait at least 2 hours for results to come back but it wasn’t necessary this time. I went in to see my oncologist so she can do her normal checks before I start my chemo. She shared the expected side effects once again and answered my questions I had. The drug will take 2 hours to administer. I was ready to start but not before I had a quick bite of breakfast.
For those who remember from my earlier posts, I have very small veins and I knew it might take the nurse to hunt for one again. Tap! Tap! Tap! I love the way the nurses keep telling me that I have such nice skin but pity that my veins is not the same. Ha! Even with the tourniquet in place, it took a good few minutes to find a possibility. Note to self – I must resume my “squeezing the ball” exercise to bring out my veins. She found one vein and a quietly confident to poke me with the needle. I felt the first prick and that was ok. She pushed in a little further and it hurt a little but tolerable. As she pushed a little further into the vein she stopped concerned that there was no blood coming through. A little further nudge of the needle and a sign of blood trickled through. Phew! With tape to secure the needle and place, the drug started to drip into my system. For comfort, lights were dimmed in the room and I kept myself occupied by watching some TV series, “The Mentalist” on my iPad.
Over the side effects, I was ready to deal with the side effects. Fatigue and waking with a headache the following morning was the first signs to crop up. Then the nauseous feeling started to creep later in the day. Imagine waking with a hangover feeling that last for days. Took a couple of Panadol hoping to relieve the symptoms. I guess the drug in my body is not reacting as well to such medications. I endured it. There was a glimmer of hope 2 days after chemo when headache subsided a little and some energy picked up in the evening. But it didn’t last for very long. By the 3rd and 4th day, my energy level was all time low and the headache returned. I slept for most of the day. The best Rx for I could give myself is pure rest.
6 days on and my energy is back to normal. Looking forward to step outside of the house to get some fresh air and some natural vitamin D.
Bald 'n Sassy 