MY CANCER JOURNEY
We got quite the surprise this past Monday!
As you have read, chemotherapy had been put off a few times due to my reaction from my port surgery and waiting on insurance. Last week, when I went into the surgeon’s office, the reaction was still holding on strong! Doc put me on some oral steroids and warned me that chemo would likely be put off yet another week and start on May 7th. I was so disappointed, but sure as heck didn’t want anyone messing with my port while I was still having such a reaction. Let me tell you-it was NOT pleasant!
To my surprise, one day on oral steroids and miracles started to happen! That reaction cleared up in no time flat.
Then the next good news: We received an insurance group number last Thursday and knew that our personal policy number would be right around the corner. We were hoping for Friday so they could get the ball rolling on approvals at the hospital but our luck had slowed. Friday came and went and no number. Surprisingly, we received an email on Saturday with Paul’s number, but still no card for me. Finally, on Monday, I had an insurance policy number. I contacted my angel, Shantel, in the finance department and told her the good news. She was cautiously optimistic that I could start treatment Tuesday. “Really, tomorrow?” I questioned her and she held onto that positivity, but I highly doubted it.
At noon on Monday, Shantel called me again and let me know that the paperwork had all been sent. I expressed how I would plan for May 7th. She held onto the belief that I would be having chemo the next day. Guess what? At 2:00 pm on Monday, I received a MyChart message (the messaging system for all my doctors) from my Medical Oncologist’s nurse. It said “They said your auth is approved. See you tomorrow.”
I was shocked. I was excited. Excited for chemo? Weird, right? But excited to get started!
Chemo Day #1
Yesterday, April 30th, was chemo day #1. We started the day with an early alarm of 5:30am. I got ready for a day of uneasiness. I had researched way more than I probably should have, but still didn’t ‘really’ know what to expect. I dressed comfy with a shirt that would make my port easily accessible and had my normal cup of coffee and protein shake.
We arrived at the clinic at 7am. I checked in downstairs at infusion and they sent me up to the 3rd floor for labs. I met Jolisa who was as sweet as could be. We casually chatted about my hair. She questioned whether I was receiving radiation as well because my neck appears that way as a result of the skin reactions. (Yuck). She joked “Oh you are one of “THOSE” patients.” I assured her that I absolutely was! lol
I made the mistake of glancing down and seeing a short fat needle that resembled a push-pin. THAT was going in me, through my skin and into my port. She had me take a deep breath, and pushed that sucker through. It was not pleasant but not terrible. (I have lidocaine to numb the area but had not put it on early enough for full effect. I will know for next week.)
As she was taking vile after vile of blood, I mentioned how much easier that was than in a normal IV. It was at that point she realized this was my first week, and she profusely apologized for not explaining things better as she worked. No biggie to me-but she was so sweet to give me thorough explanations of what had happened. She finished up with my port and handed me a pee cup. “Just need a urine sample. We gotta make sure you aren’t pregnant.” I assured her I wasn’t. “I’ve had a hysterectomy. I read that one of the side effects was that I couldn’t get pregnant anymore.” (true story: infertility was listed as a side effect) After a little giggle, out I went.

Waiting Game #1: I had to wait an hour for my Medical Oncologist appointment
The appointment was great. We discussed again what I would receive, what to expect, and when to contact them. I will see him every single week before chemo.
Waiting Game #2: Then to wait for my infusion time. (There is a LOT of waiting on chemo days)
Finally, we meet our nurse for the day, Amanda, and she escorts us to “one of the premium rooms” for the day. (That just meant we were in a small alcove that had a curtain we could pull closed instead of out in an open cubicle.) She was so good to show us around, snacks, bathrooms, etc. She explained step by step what she was doing and what to expect. Amanda really made the morning easy. I am so thankful for so many sweet people during this journey.

All the medications are simply pumped into my body using the tubes attached to my port. It is not painful at all. Honestly, I didn’t really notice anything except a weird taste in my mouth from the saline used to flush in between drugs.
They started off with my pre-cocktail consisting of Decadron (a steroid), Pepcid (yep-just like you get at WalMart except in liquid), and Benadryl. Half-way through the bag of Benadryl, I literally felt like I had downed two bottles of wine. I couldn’t keep my eyes open and began having difficulty forming words. Whew-strong stuff!
Next was the serious stuff!
Keytruda is an immunotherapy. Think of it this way: Keytruda will go in and “tag” the cancer cells like in a game of paintball. Somehow they are able to differentiate between good and bad, and they mark the bad cells. That way when the Chemo drugs are put in there, they will know which cells to go after hard-core and hopefully leave my good ones alone.
Next was Taxol. It is chemotherapy. Of course it is there to kill the cancer, but can come with some icky side-effects like numbness and tingling in fingers and toes, nausea, and I have been warned that the mouth sores and ulcers can be quite bad.
We rounded out chemo with Carboplatin. They say this one has less side-effects but carries the common ones known to chemo like nausea, hair loss, loss of appetite, etc.
I finished up with a vial of heparin so the blood in my port would not clot and cause issues.
That’s it! Round One Done!

We got home shortly after noon and I was still wiped out and super sleepy. I spent the rest of the day on the couch, waiting for the wave of nausea that I expected but never came. I dozed off and on and visited with my mom who came for a visit and to help should I need it.
I was spoiled with some gorgeous flowers and a gigantic peace lily from some of my Scentsy friends. I got a huge smile across my face when my Granny sent a picture of her attire for the day-celebrating my fight-knowing that I am stronger than this disease!
So now here I am on Wednesday morning, and all is good.
I have had some minor tummy cramps and oddly a severe case of dry eye (a seldom noted side-effect from chemo). I am thrilled to be feeling well, and even made a short trip to Wal-Mart to grab a few things. I had a HUGE thrill when I found a one shouldered cami/bra there that I plan to go buy in every color after trying it on. Bras have been a huge irritant to my port, and this one is perfect because it goes nowhere near it! (Small Victories)

One Chemo session down & Fifteen more to go!
And because I know I have an AWESOME and supportive community, and I know so many of you will feel helpless in this fight of mine, these are ways to you can help us:
- I have made an Amazon Wishlist with several items that would be helpful and loved. You guys have spoiled me rotten and most items have been taken care of. Most of what is left is good healthy and organic snacks with a few other helpful items added in. You can view it by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.
- My new diet is definitely costing more in groceries than we are accustomed to. We would be super grateful for giftcards to Whole Foods or Sprouts Farmers Market. Both of these offer a wide variety of both organic and plant-based food options. Of course Wal-Mart has some options too, just not as many.
Please understand, we are not asking for you to spend any money, but I also know that many of you have the Lord’s gifts of hospitality and caregiving, so I wanted to provide ways you could help.
Please start your prayers with Thanksgiving!
We are thrilled to be started in treatment. We are thankful for kind and loving caregivers. Most importantly, we are thankful for minimal side-effects from treatments at this point.
My prayer is that the side-effects stay at bay and that the treatment works better than we ever dreamed.
We pray for no more financial surprises.
We pray that I continue to be a bright light in any situation I encounter and that I will be able to show God’s love and caring for anyone that I enteract with.

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