I’ve been so anxious awaiting chemo, but I had my first round of chemo today and it was easier than anticipated!! 

Here is the play by play for those interested:

First, they drew blood from my port to be sure my blood cell counts were good enough to proceed. Once that came back normal it was time to get my cool capping helmet in place. I had to wet my hair and put a thick layer of conditioner in to make sure it didn’t freeze to my hair. The first 20 minutes of the ice-cap were fridges but then my body got more used to it. In total, the cold cap was on for 4 hours. 

Next, they gave me the first chemo drug. Because it can cause neuropathy, you need to keep ice packs on your hands and feet throughout. This was the worst part of it all; ice packs on feet, ice packs on hands, and ice cap on hear for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. My hands were freezing; I was so relieved when the packs came off and it was just the head! 

At this point, I took a lunch/snack and potty break! Then, it was time for the second chemo drug which was administered over an hour. Once that was done, they put a patch on my tummy that will release a shot to boost my cell counts in 27 hours. They unhooked me from everything, took the cap off carefully to make sure nothing froze and was on my way. 

So far everything went smooth. They say worst side effects are typically days 3-5 so I’ll probably be down Thursday-Sunday. Hope it’s not too bad. 

Thanks to aunt Barbara who sat with me for my first treatment and brought me lunch and goodies and to Cameryn for picking me up and taking me home. Round 2 is schedule for July 8th.