All went well

Completed my first chemo treatment yesterday and despite it being a long day, it went without a hitch. Kelly, Dr. Keohan's former nurse, my new friend and expert consultant, and soon-to-be Michigan resident, told me to insist on having a chemo nurse draw my blood sample through my port rather than having the lab techs draw it from a vein. (We all know how I feel about needles. Yikes!) After dealing with a tech who had a bit of an attitude, I was able to have the nurse put in a line and draw the blood without any problems. Other than a little pressure as she put the needle in, I didn't feel a thing. Many thanks to Kelly for the numbing cream and the excellent advice. I love my port!!!

Other than being a little tired from the stress of the day (we arrived at MSKCC at 8 a.m. and didn't leave until 12:30), I feel fine. Felt a little nauseated yesterday afternoon but that disappeared after a bowl of soup and some toast. Today I feel good although I'm tired since I didn't sleep well last night. I had a muscle cramp in my left leg unrelated to the treatment. Unfortunately, I can no longer take the ibuprofen that always relieved any muscle aches I suffered from, and Tylenol didn't do anything to relieve it. I'll be hitting the sack early tonight.

My next treatment is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 25. Then I have a week off and then we will repeat the cycle two more times. My next chest/abdomen/pelvis scan is scheduled for the week of March 10 and I will see Dr. Keohan on March 18 to review the scan results and develop a plan. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that the medication is already at work shrinking those mets!