Chemotherapy Update

We visited the oncologist Friday at 10:30. Well, little did we know the appointment would last THREE HOURS!  We were bombarded with information and were so hungry by the end that we could barely pay attention.

Anyway, chemo starts on Thursday. I need to go back on Friday to get a shot to boost my white blood cells. Thereafter, I will have 7 more treatments, one every two weeks. So a total of 16 weeks of treatment.

The first 4 will involve two drugs and will cause me to lose my hair, etc. They could also cause permanent damage to my heart. There's so much more to it - I left with 6 prescriptions that must be filled before Thursday. I'll need to give myself the shot the day after to boost the white blood cells - I will get "trained" for that on Friday. Also, I need to have an echocardiogram to make sure my heart is health enough to handle the particular drug cocktail.

Part 2 involves 4 treatments of a different drug. It luckily does not have as many side-effects. The only really bad thing is that some people are allergic to it to the extent that they can't breathe and treatment must immediately cease. It may also cause me to lose my eyelashes and eyebrows.

Well, there's plenty more interesting news where that came from. Suffice it to say that I will be a walking pharmacy for quite a while!  I'm trying to digest everything but it's definitely depressing. I have so much more ahead of me. The worst is not over.