Today was my 5th chemo session with Taxol. 5 down 7 to go. I'm happy to report it was pretty uneventful as chemo days go. I didn't have to meet with a provider today, and that shaved about an hour off the time. No reactions. I was able to take less pre-med steroids, so that made it a little more comfortable and allowed me to sleep a little more the night before. I also ate more food this week, including protein, than I've eaten for several weeks, so I felt a little stronger going into it. I am grateful to God for the good day.
When I first thought about doing the process of chemo, I knew nothing about it, but I knew it was a big chunk of time sitting in a room. I thought," I'll bring my computer and do a little writing or catch up on emails". A few people gave me puzzle books to do to pass the time. Two things I have learned since those early naïve days: 1. Everyone's journey with cancer is different, and everyone's treatment plan is a little different even if you have the exact same diagnosis as someone else. 2. There's not a lot of free time during the chemo process (at least not in my story).
For me, there's always nurses coming in and out of the room, monitoring me, asking questions, manually infusing a drug into me with a syringe for several minutes at a time. With both drugs, I've needed to put ice chips in my mouth continually during the infusions to prevent mouth sores. And with this latest drug, I wear ice packs on my hands and feet for a little over an hour (to prevent neuropathy), so doing something with my hands is ruled out. It's a little more like working a part-time job than an opportunity to kill time. Mostly, I just watch Food Network. We don't have Food Network at home, so I do enjoy that opportunity. I love to cook, and I enjoy learning new information about cooking. Even during this time when I can't eat much (or cook much either) it doesn't bother me to watch other people eat (or cook).
The chemo process is much more difficult than I thought it would be, but God is sustaining me through it. He is providing me with so much kindness along the way directly from His hand and through other people. He is also increasing my compassion for others. In the future, when someone tells me they have been diagnosed with cancer and they will have to start chemo, my prayers will be different and my actions will be different following that statement. I will be more engaged.
I've included a few pictures below from today's treatment.
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