I Rocked The First Chemo
Now, don't get me wrong. To all of you those who have had chemo (and there are many of us out there). And to all those who have not had it (you lucky, lucky bastards). Chemo does suck. It is a motherf*&£$er. Let no-one tell you different. the whole word is scary. I was not looking forward to this part of "the journey" at all.
I had my hair cut short and dyed purple in anticipation of the event.
And to top it all, my 10 year old had a very serious accident a few days before. I had spent most of the week from Tuesday on at the hospital, sleeping on the children's ward for two nights. Add to that blood tests and a pre-chemo assessment and MRSA screen. What a busy week. And then along comes Friday.
Friday 24th August was to be my first chemo infusion. I put make up on and smart gear. I thought "I may look as sick as a dog coming out, but I am bloody well going in like a super model!" There were lots of older people there. And lots of nurses. The first thing I am asked is "Are you going to use the cold cap?" Lucky for me, being a google manic, I had already researched this and I knew exactly what she was talking about. The cold cap looks like a Jockey's helmet. It is hooked up to a cooling device. The nurses spray your hair and then put the cold cap on. Well, I knew it would be cold. But nobody warned me it would be bloody well ffing freezing. The temperature goes down to -6 degrees. Yes that is correct. -6. It is like putting your head in a freezer, Absolutely, like that. But I went in with an open mind. I am determined to try everything. I will live the experience. Hopefully, I will not have to repeat it!
Anyway, cold cap on. Shivering now. First thing first - anti-sickness drugs. Lots of them to help with the nausea your body feels. Your body instantly will want to reject this poison, hence it will be sick, without these drugs. IV Chemo Infusion goes in. I am getting x 6 cycles - 3 x FEC and 3 x T. The FEC stands for three different drugs - Flourouracil (5FU), Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide. The nurse puts the drugs in slowly, through a cannula, one drug at a time. They have to go in slowly in case you have an allergic reaction. The Epirubicin is red and makes your pee red for two days. Once the drugs are in, I sit and wait for an hour and a half for the coldcap to continue freezing my head. And then I am done.
Little bit of trivia. Did you know Chemotherapy was developed from Mustard Gas used in the Trenches in World War One? Yeah, that sums up what we are dealing with here.
No fireworks. No fanfare. What a let down. I went home and slept for three days on and off. It wasn't too bad. I thought "Chemo. Shemo. What's all the fuss about." And then on number two the big, old, hairy chemo dog bit me on the ass. Going forward, I would need to be strong. I would need to be steel. I would need to be Titanium. (Yeah, I know its a cheesy theme - give me a break, I am trying!). This is me, the biggest softie in the world, who cries everytime I watch E.T. - I become a big, blubbery ball of tears at the very beginning all the way through to the end. And now I need to be hard. So anyway, you know what's coming next.
For all you chemo warriors out there. Titanium : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRfuAukYTKg. You all rock in my eyes.