3rd chemo

my latest wig

Trouble with my port, again. Took at least three flushes of saline (which, this time, I could taste, but it wasn't just a salt-water flavor...not sure how to describe it...sort of...wild onion? garlic? just weird) and then, as she's maybe starting to get it to let her draw blood, she says that she thinks, sometimes, the tube gets stuck against the wall of the vein, and when they pull to draw, it just sucks the wall up against the tube, and doesn't let anything out. Makes sense. It did finally work, after laying me down, turning my head, putting one arm over my head, and breathing deeply. Whatever works.

The delay from the port issues delayed the start of the chemo treatment (we have to have blood results back before doing the treatment, just in case my numbers aren't good), so it was a full hour later finishing than it should have been. Sort of sucks up a huge portion of your day when that happens.

Also, Wednesday is a busier day in the chemo room, and they were completely out of snacks, and out of cranberry juice and apple juice. I didn't want grape or orange, but I settled for orange anyway. Should've had grape. My next chemo is also scheduled for Wednesday. I'll have to remember to bring my own snacks. And maybe cranberry juice. If I don't like what I'm drinking, it's hard to remember to keep drinking, and hydration is critical.

Funny moment: I was walking, with my friend "Betty", to the drinks machine, and a nurse from another department came in wanting to borrow something. She came up to me (because I look competent?) and started in about what she wanted. I pointed her at a nurse as soon as I could. My friend and I were a tad confused as to why someone would assume I wasn't a patient, as I had the tube hooked up to my port, and a syringe hanging down from it, totally visible outside my shirt.
I was dressed for work, wearing heels, and had on my nice long wig. And my friend, she's sporting the super-short buzz cut she did to honor me when I lost my hair. So, I guess, I can see why someone would think I couldn't be the patient. We had a good giggle over it, anyway. I am still the youngest person I've seen in there so far for a treatment.

This time, as it was much busier, we got chatting with other patients in the room. Mostly the over-80 crowd. One of the guys had his lunch dropped off while we were there - Tommy's Burgers - I was SO jealous! I hadn't had much breakfast, just a roll, and a yogurt I brought in with me.
I think I heard a Salina accent across the room, but I couldn't be sure. (Dad's family comes from Salina, so I'm attuned to the sound, especially from the older folks.)
The lady nearest me was 83, all the way from Vernal, and had finished chemo in December, only to have more cancer show up in follow-up scans. (At least three nurses came over to explain that, due to her age, she could decide to stop the treatments at any time. She didn't seem to be interested in that option.) She was just starting her new round of treatments. The last one she had didn't cause hair loss, but this one will. She's not sure she cares to get a wig - thinks it'll be a bother, at her age. I told her she should check out the wig closet, just in case. She didn't believe mine wasn't real. I told her I liked being able to put my hair on like a hat, and look fabulous every day without a lot of fuss.
Her sweet visiting teacher had driven her to chemo every time, for the last round, and stayed with her for the hours it takes the meds to drip in. This time, she has to have two treatments, on two different days, each time she comes, so they have to stay overnight. And her friend is just sticking it out with her again. Cancer often brings out the best in people, I think.
These older folks all seemed to handle chemo as just something they did. No reason to complain about it. And rightly so. The alternative is pain and death, probably much sooner than expected.

My bone/joint pain didn't start until the next morning, which is nice. Got a good nights rest and woke up before 8am. I hope my energy holds out through the end of the work-week so I can just take the weekend to recover from fatigue, and be back at it Monday.

I've gained an average of 3 lbs after each treatment. I thought I'd done better this time, but the scale said different. I really don't want that to continue. Six times 3 is 18, and that's way too much extra weight on a person that's already overweight. I'm not supposed to diet or try to lose weight while on chemo, even though I am overweight, so that's frustrating. I didn't find I was quite as hungry after the second treatment, and I really didn't think I'd have gained this time. I'll just have to try harder, I guess. Some of it is probably water weight (thank you, steroids), but my pants are tighter, too. Some that were a bit loose just a few months ago, they aren't loose anymore. If I get to the point that I need new pants, well, I'm just not going to go there. I've got to have control of something, don't I?