So I'm not exactly excited about beginning Chemo - Day 2 since Chemo - Day 1 was so stressful; but here we go....
George & I arrived at 8:30 and were led into cubicle #20. It's right in front of the nurse's station (since I obviously made a big impression on them yesterday). If you can believe it, it's SMALLER than the first one! After the assorted rituals of meeting a new nurse (today is Pat) and being reminded of how much commotion I caused the day before, she started the regimen of anti-nausea drugs as well as anti-allergic drugs and said that today I would receive Treanda (a/k/a Bendamustin) as my chemo. This one, she indicated, does not normally have the adverse side effects of the dreaded Rituxin.
Since all was going well, I got out the iPad and started a movie -- The Blind Side. Things were going along just fine. I met all sorts of new people who stopped by to introduce themselves: Kelly, the Nutritionist; Jessica, the Social Worker, and Stacey, the American Cancer Society Patient Navigator, as well as Judy, the Manager of the Chemotherapy Suite. It seems that all of them were supposed to meet with me yesterday; however, I was pretty busy yesterday - AND, because I had my bone marrow biopsy in the chemotherapy suite last week, it was not noted on the chart that I was a 'new' chemotherapy patient, so this assortment of hospital staff didn't have me on their radar screens until today.
I forgot to mention yesterday that they gave me all sorts of reading materials and DVDs about cancer treatment as well as a blanket made by "Blankets for Warriors," a nonprofit group which makes them. Each chemo patient receives one with a note: "Quitters never win; Winners never Quit".
At the end of the Treanda, Pat advises that I will have to come back on Monday for the second dose. I was supposed to receive Treanda after the Rituxin, but obviously, I didn't get that far!
I was picked up by our friend, Tim Hanks (our Plan B, after Michael hurt his back and ended up at Laurel Regional ER). Tim arrived a little early and we chatted. We left the hospital - and after a quick stop at Frank's Seafood for crab meat for dinner - we arrived back in Columbia.
I'm feeling pretty good about today - no adverse side effects. Monday should be the same.
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