Today I venture into day two of my experience with chemotherapy. Day one was surprisingly uneventful, although it was a long day. If you haven’t read my previous article Chemo Session One-Day One, you may want to have a look at it first. It contains a lot of detail about the medications and side effects during my first day.
So far, the side effects from day one have been minimal compared to all the possibilities explained during my orientation session. I’ve experienced some minor fatigue, and some redness in my face and neck areas. The tiredness was mostly last evening, as I feel well rested and alert this morning. The redness is evidently due to the steroid pre-med, and normally lasts for a few days.
Starting Round 2
I arrived at the treatment center about 8:15 am, and went right back to the same room that I was in yesterday. As a creature of habit, I was delighted to see that my same chair was available.
I unpacked my laptop, plugged it in, and in a matter of minutes I was online and prepared to work on this website as well as a few other projects I have going on.
I also installed an instant messenger software so that I can communicate in real time with my co-workers to solve problems that need immediate attention. This is much less intrusive to others in the room than having my cell phone ringing, and having a conversation that everyone else is forced to hear.
I look forward to more of these conversations, as I find it interesting to see how different personalities deal with the difficulties of cancer treatment, each in their own way.
My chemo nurse, Cheryl, greeted me in her typical friendly fashion. Today’s treatment is expected to last about 3 hours. Similar to my first day, the treatment started out with a saline solution to keep you hydrated, followed by the same pre-meds as day one:
- Steroid – to help reduce side effects
- Benadryl – to curb any allergic reactions
- Ativan – to reduce nausea
This process takes about 30 minutes
The first dose of chemo medication was Cyclophosphamide, and is the same medication used in the second phase of yesterday’s treatment. This portion of the treatment lasted about 1 1/2 hours, and just like yesterday, resulted in no ill effects whatsoever.
The second, and final dose for the day was Fludarabine. This part of the treatment took about 30 minutes, with no bad reaction at all.
Conclusion
At 11:00 am, I was packed up and ready to leave my second chemotherapy treatment. Compared to yesterday, this seemed like it took no time at all.
There were only a few others in for treatment, but it was the same sharing of stories. I look forward to more of these conversations, as I find it interesting to see how different personalities deal with the difficulties of cancer treatment, each in their own way.
As the day went on, I did begin to notice a higher level of fatigue than what I experienced the day before. I ended up relaxing in my easy chair most of the day, occasionally dosing off while catching up on some programs I had recorded on the DVR. All in all, it’s still been a less problematic experience than I was expecting. Join me next time to see what day three holds.
Please feel free to comment here, or send me an e-mail if you have any questions or want to share your story. I’d like to invite you to continue to follow along as I document the details of my journey.
Thanks for visiting, and be sure to share this with someone who may benefit from it.
I am a week away from my first round of chemo for stage 4 lung cancer. I am seriously debating and have a lot of reservations about having a port installed, but after 5 attempts of needle pokes to find a vein the other day I guess that a port is the best answer. I thank you for your help in making this decision for me. I haven’t thought about writing about any of this yet but will try to keep you informed of my progress.
Good luck to you Lee. We’ll keep you in our prayers.