done and done

Alarm went off at 4:45am this morning... yowza!  We made it to the hospital by 5:30am (15 minutes early for our appointment -- we could have slept for 15 more minutes!)

This is the 5th hospital I've had the pleasure of evaluating the surgical department in and my experience was quite good.  Not quite as nice as Robert Wood Johnson, where the nurse gives you a carnation when you are discharged (I know, Jess -- you HATE carnations, right?  But it's the thought that counts, right) -- but seriously, RWJ has to make up for the fact that admissions is run like an assembly line.  Efficient, but not very personal.

The procedure went fairly well, but took a bit longer than Dr Escalona expected.  Apparently, I have a surprisingly thick chest wall (not sure what that means) and so he had to change his angle of attack.  Also, my veins appear to be "slippery" even up in my neck and they kept running and hiding so it took him a while to thread the catheter.  Recovery was easy though and I was sitting up and eating saltines about 30 minutes after surgery.  I typically sleep a ton in recovery, enjoying the post-anesthesia/pain med haze, but I had places to go, people to see and things to do. 

They wheeled me up to oncology in style and I got started.  The blood draw was fantastically easy -- drawn straight from my shiny new port.  I met with Dr C -- we discussed the treatment plan again and he answered our remaining questions.  I'll be going 3 weeks on / 1 week off -- so I'm already marking my calendar for the free weeks -- can't wait to enjoy the time off! 

Unfortunately, the chemo room was a madhouse -- every seat was taken.  We wound up waiting nearly 2 hours for a chair and a pump and a nurse to start my chemo.  I was starving and grabbed a bagel (people often bring in food and leave it  in the "kitchen area" for patients, nurses and family/friends to enjoy) and spent some time talking with another woman going through treatment for primary breast cancer.  Finally the crowds thinned out and I was able to take a seat, heading to the "quiet room" that I preferred from my first time around. 

There are two chemo rooms -- one that has 10-12 chairs, 2 TVs and tends to be pretty lively... and one with 5 chairs, no tvs and tends to be a bit quieter.  That one's my preference.  Abraxane doesn't have as many side effects as the drugs I took in round one, so there weren't any pre-meds (steroids, anti-nausea, etc).  We did have to wait for a while for them to mix my "bag" (it apparently takes a while to dissolve) but once it was ready, it was 30 minutes for the Abraxane & then 15 minutes for a "flush" with saline.  The nurse then rinsed my port with heparin to prevent any clotting, took me to a private room for my Lupron shot (in the tush) and we were done. 

We arrived home around 3pm.  I felt ok, but exhausted.  Took a few naps through the afternoon and enjoyed some mac & cheese for supper (comfort food!).  I keep thinking that my body should feel different with the chemo racing through my veins... but overall, I feel pretty normal today.  The pain from the port site is less than expected.  My chest feels "bruised", like someone punched me and my neck feels sore when I move or cough or swallow -- but nothing that a bit of percocet can't take care of! 

Mike, Otis and I went for a walk around the block this evening, caught up with some neighbors and I'm now relaxing to the sound of the waterfall we have in our backyard -- so glad that the heat broke enough that we can enjoy the fresh air and open windows!

Thanks to all for the emails, facebook messages and phone calls.  Today was a big step towards recovery and we appreciate the amazing support!