Monday I get my port put in at georgetown by "interventional radiology." The port is about the size of four quarters stacked up, and it is installed beneath the skin somewhere below the collar bone. It makes giving the chemo treatments easier and is recommended because I will need chemo treatments 6 times and Herceptin (also as an infusion) another 18 times over the course of the next year. Twilight sedation only so hoping it is not as disastrous as the surgery anesthesia experience was.
Thursday I begin chemo treatments at Dr. McGrail's office in Chevy Chase. Mom is very excited that Meiwah and Panera are right next door!
First will be the blood work to make sure all levels are good to go. Then pre-meds, anti-nausea, steroids for nausea and allergic reaction and fluid retention/swelling, and probably lots more. Then the chemo drugs:
Taxotere (docetaxel), Carboplatin, and of course the Herceptin. First day should take about 5 hours, including some Q&A.
Most of the time (except maybe the first treatment, not sure) I have to go back the following day for a shot of neulasta, to help with my white blood cell count which gets destroyed by the chemo drugs, making me vulnerable to infection. (Time to buy stock in Purell!)
Then -- wait three weeks and repeat. Six times.
Lots of dread and anxiety of course. To do list:
- walking, and lots of it. Dr. M says women who gain more than ten pounds during chemo have higher risk of recurrence. Yikes.
- very gentle yoga
- meditation
- acupuncture
- reflexology
- rewatch the entire series of Lost
- update blog.
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