Chemo Round 2 Routine Until All Hell Breaks Loose! – Part 1
8:40 a.m. Elevator down? I have to take back what I said about the cancer dungeon because for being an underground cancer center it is actually very beautiful and
we’re very lucky to be at Cedars. We know the drill. Nurses are wonderful and we’ve gone for longer infusion time because it cuts down on the neuropathy pain. So going through the medication, hooking up to one of the many drugs, we are here for the long haul. Today we are in a luxury suite, but I still have no place to put my coffee. Because we’re in a new place, (they have redone the long infusion center), I am afraid to venture out anywhere because I know I will get lost and not find my way back. I know how to get to the bathroom, but at one point coming back, I walked into the wrong room. I tried to make a joke of it, but they weren’t very happy. Michelle ordered some cornflakes and I thought, well it couldn’t be that bad could it? Wrong! I am amazed at the amount of sugar. Sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar syrup, malt syrup. Not to mention the preservatives! In a hospital, come on! Has hospital food not changed since the beginning of time? Sugar and sodium! She also had soup with as much salt in it as the Pacific Ocean.
At about 2:00 p.m. I asked how much longer we would be there. When she said 6:30 p.m. I almost fell on the floor! At about 3:00 p.m. I was going stir crazy but was waiting for the physician’s assistant to come in with marker results. They check the makers before each chemo. I finally had to take a walk to the Beverly Center and knew she would come while I was gone. My anxiety energy level was so high I actually walked around the mall and I hate malls!! They are redoing everything in the mall and I got lost in a maze of construction walls. It reminded me of the amusement park called POP in Santa Monica that I used to go to when I was a kid. They had a house of mirrors and I could never get out of it. I would stand there and cry and cry until somebody got me out. I should’ve known then that my sense of direction was not going to be one of my strengths. Well, sure enough Michelle sent me a text and told me the physician’s assistant came by and that her cancer markers have already gone down after just one treatment. That was a relief and something I really wanted to hear.
Being in this situation is kind of like menopause on crack. Your emotions are all over the place. One minute you’re really positive and know everything’s going to be all right and the next you start freaking out, questioning everything and wondering what the future holds. And no I’m not talking about the election. Got back, got lost and finally made it back to the room. So now it’s 3:30 p.m. I have three hours and I figured I might as will open up a book because I haven’t read anything in at least five years. Girl On A train is the perfect book to take my mind off things. Michelle is mostly sleeping this time, pretty drugged, in and out, checking her emails every once in a while, getting some more unhealthy food and then 5:30 comes around and they come in to give her the second of the two chemo concoctions. One more hour and we’re out of there and then
