Port & Chemo Updates

The port installation went very smoothly yesterday.  I spent the night very comfortably and woke up feeling normal.  With the exception of a little tenderness in the immediate area, I feel very good.  From now on they'll be able to draw blood and administer chemo through this port without having to mess with my veins any more, which will be a nice break for my poor arms.

Some updates on my chemo, which starts this Monday (May 30th):

Unless Dr Kang changes something, I'll be receiving 3 chemo drugs. It will be one treatment every 3 weeks. The first appt is scheduled to last 6 hours, I don't know if that will be the norm. One of the drugs he mentioned involved a 4-day pump for each treatment, the other 2 will be administered during the 6 hour infusion sessions. I will be going to Hopkins for these treatments.  Someone from their home care service will be coming to the house on the 4th day from treatment to remove the pump.  As far as I know, it will be hooked up while I'm at the infusion center.

We have no indication yet of how long I'll be receiving chemo.  I imagine that they'll be doing various CT/PET scans periodically during my treatment to assess our progress.  And we will still be looking into that clinical trial as soon as Dr Kang thinks my condition is stable enough.

Yes, I will probably lose my hair. No, please do not shave your heads for me.  Next week, as soon as I'm feeling up to it after my treatment, I'll be going in to get it cut short so that when it starts going it won't look so bad.  They said it will probably be a few weeks after my first treatment when it will start to go.

Ty and I have spent a lot of time preparing for these treatments.  We are stocked up on good foods (I even get to relax my sugar restrictions a little, as long as I'm eating something).  We'll be bringing laptops, books, games, and other activities to the chemo sessions.  In the event that he can't be at one, I'll be reaching out for volunteers to keep me company, but for now we're good on that front.

I won't say I'm *excited* exactly? to start chemo, but I'm glad that it's starting.  It needs to happen, and getting healthy is my end goal, so I'm prepared to do whatever needs doing.  I'm in overall good health- other than the soreness in my back, I feel quite good.  And I'm in very good spirits, thanks to my wonderful friends and family- the constant flow of good thoughts and prayers is doing more than you can imagine.  

The rest of this weekend will be focused on resting and staying well fed and hydrated.  I get to sleep in Monday, my appointment isn't until 12:30pm, so I can rest up, eat a good breakfast, and then get on the road.  

I will up date as soon as I'm feeling up to it after my treatment.