Round #1, Chemo #3, Complete!

Chemo #3 went great today. Had a later appointment which gave me the morning to get things done at home first with a clear head. With stuff done and my desk clear, I don’t object so much to being zonked out in a recliner after I get back home. Just watched Downtown Abbey 6 on the DVR in a pleasant haze.

OK: some scheduling news. I have now finished Round 1 of Chemo. I feel great. No nausea, hardly any pain, good skin color, my hair is still my own.

When Craig and I originally spoke with my Oncologist, Dr. Unger, he indicated that I would have a rest week on Week #4. But when I received my printed schedule at Chemo #1, it did not show a rest week. I assumed that the printout was wrong but my NP, Susan Hooper, phoned Dr. Unger today and got this explanation:

Since I am opting to delay surgery and have half my chemo rounds 1st, they are not going to give me a Week #4 rest week. Next week  on Wednesday at 9:40 we start Round #2, Chemo #4, which will include both Taxol and Charboplatin. I am quite happy about this. I feel good, so let’s get on with the program! The remaining dates on this schedule are for Monday, February 27 at 10:40 (Chemo #5) and Wednesday, March 7 at 10:40 (Chemo #6). I will only get Taxol at these sessions.

Meanwhile, cancer is a wily fox and has many tricks up its sleeve. I discovered this yesterday (Sunday) when I rose, pleased to have a quiet day to catch up my journal and wade through the accumulating paper on my home desk. Instead, during breakfast I noticed what looked like an infection on the the top of my right hand at last week’s chemo intravenous site. Phoned the Doctor, went to Porter Hospital Emergency Room, got treated and put on anti-biotic med. Shot the whole morning. BUT I am thrilled that all three of the doctors & nurses treating me thought that hot-tubbing would be excellent therapy for healing the infected sites.

They may take my hair, but they better not stand between this girl and her HOT TUB!

SO: back to work tomorrow & I expect to be there the rest of the week (but who can really plan that far??)