first chemo

I wanted, so badly, to be blogging from the treatment room today, but the wi-fi wouldn't behave, so I had to wait until I was home again.

The prominent effect, for the first two hours, was that I felt loopy from the benadryl. They put that in first, to help my body accept the chemo and other medicines they will be putting into me. I kept thinking, how will I drive home, if I'm still this loopy when I'm done? I had my SIL with me, to keep me company (mom had to work, or it would have been her), and she could have driven me home, but what about my car? Fortunately, the effect wore off.
Just about the same time, I had to pee, in a serious way. I made my way slowly to the bathroom, wheeling my IV with me, shaking off the last of the benadryl high as I walked. And pee I did. Complete success. Not ten minutes after I'm back in my chair (a comfy recliner, of the sort one might watch football from, if so inclined), I have to go again, just as urgently. This seems ridiculous to me, but the nurse tells me it's normal. I'd had lots of fluids going in from the IV, and I'd had both water and juice while I'd been sitting there. I go to the bathroom twice more before I'm done. All within an hour.

The last thing they do, before I'm released, is give me a shot of Neulasta, which helps keep my white blood cell count up where it should be. She tells me I can have this in my arm or my belly, my choice, but adds that the belly would be her choice, as it's less painful that way. I take her advice. Probably a good decision, as I don't even notice anything where she stuck me, and I'm sure my arm would be sore by now, like it is after a flu shot, had she stuck me there.

I feel terrific, actually, as we're leaving. That's partly due to the steroids, given to help the body accept all the other stuff and give it time to work before my body can reject it. I will take more steroids tomorrow, so I'll probably feel pretty good tomorrow, too. But they tell me the fatigue should hit me the second day. Fatigue is the one side-effect they can't control or help with drugs.
Well, that, and the possible hair loss. Which should start sometime after the second week. I'll be looking at wigs soon, and scarves, hats, other sorts of things to help hide the hair loss until I'm done with chemo. They tell me it'll grow back within 2 to 3 months after the chemo is done.
I plan to try on lots of styles and colors of wigs. This is my chance to try being a blond or redhead, without having to ruin my natural hair. I may not look good in any other hair color, but I can try anything I like, since I don't have to live with it permanently. Also, I see myself as more of a scarf person than a hat person. I like the drama of a nice silky scarf.

Back to today. I decide I'll go out to dinner and do some shopping with my SIL, while I feel good. I was starting to feel some cramping, just before we ate, but that could have been due more to my period than the chemo. Did I mention that showed up last night? Regular as clockwork, I am. For now. Chemo will change that. Possibly permanently. But I'll get back to that later. I felt much better after we ate, so we went shopping, too. I found a fabulous scarf, and more of my favorite lotion - worth the time and effort.

I'm tired now, but it's a normal tired. From where I'm sitting, chemo isn't all that bad.