11. What my chemo treatment is like

Just finished treatment nr 7 and it is getting harder to tolerate the side effects.  I have had a rough couple of days.  Makes the previous treatments feel like a picnic.

Week 1 of chemo treatment is as follows:

On Monday, the day before chemo, I get bloodwork done to check the levels of platelets, red and white blood cells.  If the levels are satisfactory, treatment is "on".  Well, my levels were low, but the oncologist gave the green light anyway.  Next I have a Covid screening and Monday nights I start taking a laxative every night for the rest of treatment week.

Tuesday morning, I prepare my chemo bag to take to the clinic.  It contains: a book, my iD, iPhone, lunch, snacks and water bottle, mittens and the holder for the infusor bottle.  Upon arrival my weight, BP and oxygen levels get checked.  I walk into the clinic hall to my assigned seat.  There are roughly 25 plus seats and there is constant patient turn-over, reminding of being in a busy airport terminal.  A bit of chit-chat with the assigned nursing staff and then treatment begins by giving me anti-nausea and anti-vomiting medication intravenously.  That takes about 1/2 hour.  If it is close to lunch, time to quickly gobble down my lunch so I will not get sick.  That hasn't happened yet, knock on wood!  The chemo drugs take about 2 hours to drip into my arm through an IV line called a Picc line.  When that is done there is some saline flushing going on and I get hooked up to the infusor bottle that hangs around my neck and will be automatically dispensing more chemo drugs into my body for another 48 hours.  I go home tethered to this infusor bottle.  It replaces a further 2 day in-hospital stay.  Toward the end of chemo the dreaded neuropathy starts kicking in.  Neuropathy is a common side effect of the treatment that I am on.  It is characterized by numbness or tingling of the fingers and toes and can sometimes be painful and feel like a burning sensation, which may be severe.  Lucky for me it has not gone to that extreme yet except that I have neuropathy in my face in addition to my fingers and toes: the tip of my nose gets extremely cold and then sore; it hurts to cry (feels like tiny needle pricks behind my eye balls when I do, so I Don't, I just grit my teeth instead) and the first couple of bites in any meal also upset either glands or muscles in my lower jaw.  There are other side effects as well such as  muscle cramps and lately, extreme fatigue due low red blood cells.

Week 2 is detox week.  In general the neuropathy gradually diminishes over time.  I try to detoxify as much as I can by constantly drinking water or weak tea. And by eating a healthy, fiber-rich diet.  And by sleeping as much as I can.  Today is Sunday and I am able to type this post, which I would not have been able to do yesterday!!  Hurrah for small miracles.!!!