Expect the Unexpected: Chemo Day Number 2

My second treatment was quite a bit different from the first.  This time I had to see the doctor before I got started, just to go over how I responded to the first treatment and make sure there wasn't anything that needed to be adjusted.  My lab work has continued to look good and he was happy with my progress.

I received the same pre-medications as last time, but they started me on a faster drip rate of the chemo because I did okay last time.  Ten minutes in I got really hot and my chest tightened.  I felt like I couldn't breathe and my husband went for the nurse.  When he got back, he said that I had turned beet red and my ability to breathe was getting more and more difficult.  They stopped the chemo and switched me over to straight saline fluids.  It got better quickly and they gave me more benedryl and waited for about 20 minutes.  When they started the chemo again, they started it very slowly and then gradually increased it throughout the day, which meant that instead of being there for 5 hours, I was there for 8.

I didn't have any other adventures but the allergic reaction was scary.  This time there were other people receiving chemo at the same time and it was nice to have people to talk to who were going through the same thing.  Last time I was tired as soon as I got home, but this time I felt pretty normal until around 7 pm and then I crawled in bed to rest.

The steroids do a number on my sleep pattern which is why I was wide awake at 2:30 am.  Thankfully, there is still a fair amount of British television I haven't seen to keep me occupied.

I am confident going into the recovery period having been through it once.  I did well staying ahead of any nausea.  I take steroids the first three days after chemo which as I said before do a number on my sleep pattern, but they do help me to feel relatively normal.  The hardest part last time was the four days after the steroids.  Neuropathy (pain and numbness in the hands and feet) kicked in right away and the fatigue was pretty bad.  But two weeks out, I felt good, and then my hair started falling out.

Losing my hair has consumed a lot of my brain power.  Once it's gone, I probably won't think about it as much, but the process has been bizarre.  Paul took the clippers to my head as soon as it started and then again a few days later to go even shorter.  It itches and while I'm wearing bandandas when I go out and at work, I don't wear anything at home because it itches so bad when I do.  Not having to shave my legs is nice and my skin feels really soft.

Knowing that I only have to do one more treatment is comforting.  This New Year's holiday will be very special for me as I hope to feel not just like myself again, but as a better version of myself.