My First Chemotherapy Treatment

Not gonna lie.  Thursday was a long day.  Almost 9 hours.  But it takes time
to acclimate your body to many IV drips of cancer-killers.

You have to be very careful about allergic reactions.  So, the first time is
all about...slow and steady wins the race.

And occasionally there are blips.  After the first IV of my R-CHOP
treatment...I started to get very cold...not from the outside...but the inside. 
Deep in my bones.  And it caused the "shakes".  So we had to stop the chemo for
a while..ister some steroids...bring me back to normal...and start all
over again.  Slow and steady. But my hubby and daughter and sister-in-law kept
me entertained. We read and watched a movie. We talked a lot with my nurse,
Cathy.  I'm not sure she ever got a lunch break thanks to my "shakes". The sun
was setting in my waning hours at The Hickman Cancer Center at Flower Hospital
on Thursday.  A spectacular view from my corner room.  I had survived day
one.  I am a survivor.

The small downside is...I take steroids for five days...and they mess with my
sleep.  Like I am not really getting any.  I am tired, but not sleepy.  And
those who know me...know this...I love bed.  It is one of my favorite places. 
My kids have heard me gush about the grandparents in the Willy Wonka
movies...you know, the folks who never leave their bed.  They eat, sleep and
conduct business there.  That is my idea of the perfect day.

Unfortunately, now bed is a place where I toss and turn and watch the clock 
and wonder how I will get the much needed rest that is key to my treatment. So I
just rest if I can't sleep.  And I watch others do the things I would like
to...but can't accomplish on my own just yet. No sleep, no energy.

This weekend, my family put up all the Christmas decorations for me.  The
tree, the lights and the ornaments.  I set up the little Christmas
village...church at one end...Irish pub at the other...skating pond in between. 
I absolutely love plugging it in...and watching it all come to life.  And then I
move things around just for fun to change the landscape.  I parked the taxi cab
outside the Irish pub...had a good laugh...and thought to myself...this was a
perfect day. 

I even bought myself an early Christmas present at TJ Maxx on Friday.  A
seasonal "Life is Good" t-shirt.  Because it is!