First day of chemotherapy.

 May 9, 2022

And it begins.  Going into this, I had no idea what to expect.  You see people on chemotherapy in the movies, you read about the process online or in publications, and you hear from a nurse about the side effects of the medications and the potentially bad things that can happen.  You have no idea what to think and it drives you crazy.  It really gave Lauren a great deal of anxiety not knowing how her body is going to react to the chemotherapy.  All I can do is make sure she knows I will be there every step of the way, encouraging her, and keep her in good spirits.  It’s all in the hands of the medical professionals from here on out and it feels good.

 

Today was Lauren’s first chemotherapy appointment.  We were both nervous wrecks, but excited to get the process going.  It’s an inconceivable feeling knowing that today is the day Lauren will be fighting the tumor.  Will the road be easy and pleasant, absolutely not, but I know she’s ready, willing, and able to fight.

 

The process began today with Lauren meeting with the oncologist Dr. Vandermolen to go over a few things like her MUGA Scan and her PET scan, and to go over any other questions we have.  Orange Coast Memorial Hospital neglected to send the results of the MUGA scan and the PET scan to Dr. Vandermolen, lovely.  More on this tomorrow (Tuesday) when we hope to hear the results.

 

We finally make our way to the second floor of the medical facility; this is where they administer the chemotherapy.  Every step of the way, everyone has been pleasant, and the facility is impeccable.  An RN calls Lauren’s name, and we proceed to walk down the hall to her “pod”, which closely resembles an office cubicle with a larger patient chair, and a smaller love seat for one guest.  The nurse talks to us about the process and what to expect and it begins with a blood extraction from Lauren’s port where it was sent to the lab on the first floor.  Lauren’s blood will be pulled before every chemo session to monitor her platelets and her white blood cells.  The process takes about 45 minutes from start to finish.

 

When the labs are complete, Lauren went through two IV bags of anti-nausea medication, a port rinse of saline solution to flush it out and then it was time for the chemotherapy medication.  Aside from the prick feeling of the needle going into the chemo port, Lauren did not feel any burning or cold sensation, but she did feel like something was going through her body.  Still, it pains me to see her hooked it to an IV machine with some potent medication flowing through her.

 

It was around 4:00 PM when we left the facility.  Lauren felt tired and her head felt a little fuzzy, but all in all she felt good with no signs of nausea.  We got home, I unloaded her car and she sat on the couch to watch some TV and to take a nap.  She has lost a little bit of color in her face, but I’m guessing it’s attributed to all the medication in her system.

 

I’ll be monitoring her closely as they say the side effect usually occur a day, up to 3 days after the medicine is introduced into her body.  Lastly, thank you again to all the love and support everyone.  We appreciate it, and we need it.

 

Love Chris