The most fun I ever had at chemo!
Well, I made it through another round. Yesterday was my 6th treatment. Just 2 more to go, YAY!
I was all by myself at chemo, had a neighbor drop me off while John stayed home with the kids. I actually had a really great time. I guess I am really great company after all!
What I enjoyed most about yesterday was approximately 4 hours of quiet "just me" time....that is, aside from the infernal beep-beep-beep of the chemo machines. Those beeps are awful. Each time the drug packet gets low and needs replacing, the machine beeps. It doesn't stop beeping until the nurse comes by to either push a button or change packets, or both. Now imagine 20 patients, each with their own chemo machine, each with a different chemo cocktail that gets low at different times. Non-stop beeping! And all the beeps sound alike, no special ringtones, so it takes the nurses a minute to figure out who's beeping. I'm surprised they don't have nightmares. I asked one of them if they hear the beeps after hours and she laughed and said she does. Poor thing.
Oh, sorry....back to the fun part: the quiet time. I was able to ignore the beeps, even without my iPod to drown it out (unfortunately I had forgotten to recharge it). I addressed envelopes for my Christmas cards, wrote some long overdue thank-you notes, did some crossword puzzles (gotta keep my mind sharp), and had a few snacks.
I also napped for about an hour, all snuggly in a prayer blanket my mother-in-law made for me. When I woke up, I wished I had had someone there to nudge me awake, because I am SURE I was snoring. I woke myself up once with a (hopefully quiet) snort.
So it was a very productive session. Not only did I get further along in my treatment and tackle a few more cancer cells, but I also made a dent in my correspondence and Christmas cards.
I felt really good afterwards too, was happy to see John and the kids pull up in the minivan to bring me home. The only downside? I had a terrible stomachache! Not from chemo....from too much snacking! I guess with no one to talk to, I just pigged out! Oh well, no harm done. It was all healthy stuff, just too much at once!
Today I still feel good, got my white count "booster" shot this morning, attended Emma's and Leah's Christmas pageant dress rehearsal at church, then tried to rest/relax the rest of the afternoon. Still a little wired today. I'm preparing myself for tomorrow, when the aches will likely kick in. I've got the card table ready to go upstairs and plan to spend my time wrapping presents. I'm assuming I'll have enough strength for that! And hopefully I'll feel up to attending the Christmas pageant tomorrow night. If not, I'll throw on a hat and dark glasses and have John drag me in and cart me around, kinda like Weekend at Bernie's..... could make for an interesting future posting. Stay tuned!
I was all by myself at chemo, had a neighbor drop me off while John stayed home with the kids. I actually had a really great time. I guess I am really great company after all!
What I enjoyed most about yesterday was approximately 4 hours of quiet "just me" time....that is, aside from the infernal beep-beep-beep of the chemo machines. Those beeps are awful. Each time the drug packet gets low and needs replacing, the machine beeps. It doesn't stop beeping until the nurse comes by to either push a button or change packets, or both. Now imagine 20 patients, each with their own chemo machine, each with a different chemo cocktail that gets low at different times. Non-stop beeping! And all the beeps sound alike, no special ringtones, so it takes the nurses a minute to figure out who's beeping. I'm surprised they don't have nightmares. I asked one of them if they hear the beeps after hours and she laughed and said she does. Poor thing.
Oh, sorry....back to the fun part: the quiet time. I was able to ignore the beeps, even without my iPod to drown it out (unfortunately I had forgotten to recharge it). I addressed envelopes for my Christmas cards, wrote some long overdue thank-you notes, did some crossword puzzles (gotta keep my mind sharp), and had a few snacks.
I also napped for about an hour, all snuggly in a prayer blanket my mother-in-law made for me. When I woke up, I wished I had had someone there to nudge me awake, because I am SURE I was snoring. I woke myself up once with a (hopefully quiet) snort.
So it was a very productive session. Not only did I get further along in my treatment and tackle a few more cancer cells, but I also made a dent in my correspondence and Christmas cards.
I felt really good afterwards too, was happy to see John and the kids pull up in the minivan to bring me home. The only downside? I had a terrible stomachache! Not from chemo....from too much snacking! I guess with no one to talk to, I just pigged out! Oh well, no harm done. It was all healthy stuff, just too much at once!
Today I still feel good, got my white count "booster" shot this morning, attended Emma's and Leah's Christmas pageant dress rehearsal at church, then tried to rest/relax the rest of the afternoon. Still a little wired today. I'm preparing myself for tomorrow, when the aches will likely kick in. I've got the card table ready to go upstairs and plan to spend my time wrapping presents. I'm assuming I'll have enough strength for that! And hopefully I'll feel up to attending the Christmas pageant tomorrow night. If not, I'll throw on a hat and dark glasses and have John drag me in and cart me around, kinda like Weekend at Bernie's..... could make for an interesting future posting. Stay tuned!
posted by KT @ 4:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home