Chemo #2

Monday, 3/25/13  Mary had her second Chemo treatment today.  Three hours in the Pinnacle Oncologist chair.  It wasn't as easy going as the first one.  When the Cytoxan was being administered, she said she was getting a funny taste in her mouth.  As it kept going, her sinuses were getting stuffy, and the nurse told her that was normal, and that she would feel as if she had swallowed ocean water and gotten it up her nose.  YUK!  No real nausea, but just some fuzzyiness in her head and vision.   While we were sitting there, we were still joking and talking.  One thing we noticed were the other patients who were also receiving their Chemo.  There are about 10 patients who are there at the same time.  You never know what types of Cancer people might have, but some were pretty clear.  There were elderly patients and one who was pretty young.  I have just finished reading the book God Never Blinks.  One of the chapters is titled "If we all threw our problems in a pile, and got a look at everyone else's, we'd all fight to get back our own!"  We are really grateful that Mary's Cancer is treatable and that it isn't any worse than it is.  It puts things in perspective pretty quickly when you are watching some of the other patients.
She was kind of exhausted the rest of the day.  Not the kind of tired where she needed to take a nap, but just felt blah.  Besides the obvious of all the toxins/meds they are putting into her body that are making her feel that way, I think a lot of it is mental exhaustion too.  She had felt so good for the last 4-5 days and knew what this week was going to hold, so she was running around trying to get so much done.  She also was thinking a lot about today and how she was going to be feeling, and what she should expect, and wondering if it would be different from last week.  Psyching herself up.  So, when the appointment was over, I think she was just "done".
We will see what tomorrow brings.  She will have the Neulasta shot to boost her white blood cells.  They have been really low, so hopefully this week, the shot will kick in and give her a little boost.  However, we know, if it "kicks" in, she may feel like she actually got kicked.  I guess that is what this whole Chemo thing is all about.  You take the medicine, which makes you feel like crap, because you know that it is what is taking care of the disease inside of you so that eventually you will be free of the disease.