I quickly got over the thought of me being bald. I've rocked a pixie style before, and I like to think I have a good amount of confidence to move past the hair loss. The nurses offered a special cap I could wear to possibly save 70% of it, but it would prolong my treatment by a couple of hours each time and sounded pretty uncomfortable. For me, it just wasn't worth it. It's only temporary, and it'll be one less thing to worry about in the morning!
I decided to invite my friend of 25 years over to do the big chop. The kids were home, which was good, so they could watch it happen and not be totally shocked! Meredith tied it up in a bunch of little ponytails and snipped away. It was so empowering! I felt fabulous and TOTALLY ready for my first round of chemo the next morning. I felt like I was putting on my warrior makeup, ready to fucking fight! This cancer bitch did not know who she was messing with!
Round #1 went very smoothly. I went with my husband, Andrew, and it was actually kind of nice just the two of us without the kids. We were able to spend quiet time together, playing cards, fiddling on our phones, and watching TV. I was in a recliner, he was in a less comfortable chair, and we were sitting in front of a bunch of nurses stations, but it wasn't so bad! We got there for about 8:30am and didn't get home until 4:30pm or so. They wanted to administer the medications a bit slower the first time, hoping to avoid any allergic reactions. Everything went well, so next time they promised a more private room...yay!
Three weeks later, I had Chemo #2! My sister, Stephanie, was able to fly up from Atlanta to come with me which was super sweet. Again, it was nice spending quality time with her without our kids around! We love our kids, but adult conversation without interruptions is also good once in a while! I spent a lot of time coloring, we chatted about family and holidays coming up, and she was able to get some work done. They administered the first two medications just fine. About five minutes after they started the third med, Taxotere, I started feeling odd. There was a weird feeling through my abdomen running from my belly button to my chest. I stopped my sister to tell her to grab the nurse. From the time it took her to step out of the room to tell the nurse just outside, and come back in, it went from being a small feeling in my abdomen to taking over my entire upper body. My chest and face were extremely tight and hot, I was having a hard time breathing, and I was seeing spots. Right then and there, for a split second, I thought I was dying. I thought for sure that this poison they were putting inside me was killing me. I tried not to panic, took long deep breathes, and closed my eyes. The nurses stopped the med, gave me a steroid, put me on oxygen, and administered a nebulizer. Within a couple minutes, I was feeling much better. Okay, good, I wasn't dying....I turned to my sister and said "Don't tell Mom about this!"... Unfortunately, I lost the private room privilege after this. Damn.
After the reaction scare, the rest of my second treatment went well! They slowed down the Taxotere and worked their way back up again to where it needed to be. I was able to enjoy the rest of my sister's visit that night before she had to fly back home the next morning. Three weeks later, and it was already time for Chemo #3! It was just after Thanksgiving so the timing was perfect! I was feeling great and able to really enjoy all that comes with this wonderful holiday! The food was fantastic and we were able to spend time with all of our family as normally as possible. My friend Jackie came down from New Hampshire that Sunday to join me in my next treatment. It was so special to have her here with me and I knew she would be a great person to have by my side, especially if anything went wrong like last time. It's always reassuring having another nurse next to me! Again, the first two meds went just fine, and then they started the Taxotere. Since I had a reaction before, they started me slow and were going to work me back up. Well, they started me slow and I STILL had another reaction. What the hell?? It definitely wasn't as bad as before, but I was starting to feel that chest tightness again. They stopped the med, gave me a steroid, and started even slower. After that, I was fine. Next time, the plan is to just give me a steroid along with my other pre-meds to hopefully prevent the reaction all together.... we will see!
And just like that, I have Chemo 1, 2, AND 3 in the books!!! Whoaa we're halfway there! (Thank you Bon Jovi!)
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