Hello everyone, If this is getting boring please do not feel obliged in any way to read. Its just so many people want to know the details.
Just finished my first day of Chemo and wanted you to know I have a smile on my face. At least a preliminary one.
The day started with PET scan, in which I was infused with a radioactive dye that is somehow placed inside glucose molecule. Then I had to sit "quietly" for 45 mins, basically not move too much because moving too much makes the dye go to muscles. That was long, however.
THEN the PET scan where you lie on a stretcher sort of thing with a doughnut thing at the end.
And it starts with your feet in the doughnut and every 6 minutes you move another 6 inches closer into the doughnut. For this part, you cannot move the 6 inches that are inside the doughnut. As you can quickly determine, the test is a shorter one for short people. I calculated this part out as my head headed for the doughnut. My bladder is less tolerant of large loads lately, so even though it was only 45 mins, it was tough at the end, especially the part that it seemed like every bathroom in the cancer centre was occupied.
Anyways got out of there just in time to start drinking the contrast for the ct scan. My doctor came in just before the ct scan started to say that the PET SCAN tech saw nothing that "lit up" on my PET scan, which means that there are likely no metastasis over 1 mm or so anywhere on me. The chemo gets rid of smaller ones. (this is all an oversimplification)
THEN I had a hard time lying still for the CT scan because I was crying.
Then there was just enough time to wolf down a few cups of coffee to try get rid of my caffiene headache, and some leftover pizza from last night and then we saw the chemo oncologist. He brought my ct scan up on his computer and then said "I am not a radiologist, but nothing here jumps out at me" which was also reassuring, being as he is a doc that looks at lots of ctscans.
Final reports tomorow.
So just out of his office in time to start chemo. Chemo was quite lovely... :) Met several lovely people, none of whom had hair, except the ones who were getting their first treatment like me.
Most "concerning" untoward side effect from the chemo....is that we went out to dinner tonite and I thought I would order a bottle of my favourite wine and have a small glass.....
Ken maintains it is great, I cannot stand the taste.
I tried a white wine too and could not stand the taste, I ordered a nice glass of chardanay and it was awful too.
OH WELL, I seem to have tolerated the treatments without any serious side effects and for that I am grateful, and knowing now that it looks like they will more than likely cure me, I can live without whining about the wine part.
The rest starts tomorrow, but for now I am doing very well.
Ken has been just a darling (as usual) and we actually did have a lot of fun during chemo today. He is making a slide show and we hope to post it here in the morning
Love and peace to all
Janet Bates
jankenb@gmail.com
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