March 6, 2007 - First Chemo Treatment

My mom, dad, and I went to see my chemotherapy doctor, Dr. Steele, on March 5. They have started me on Adriamycin and Cytoxan every two weeks for four weeks. He tried to get by with doing it every three weeks, but I talked him out of it. We all know there is one thing I do best, and that is talking. If I can't talk you to death, no one can! Anyway, after that I will receive Taxol every three weeks for four rounds. I'm trying to talk him into every two weeks for that too, but so far, no luck. They will start the Herceptin shots with the Taxol. I will receive one shot each week for 48 weeks. This is the shot that will kill the receptions on the cells that are telling the estrogen to reproduce. This cell (neu/her2) is supposed to have two receptors and mine has about 20! Then I will have surgery and then radiation for five weeks, five times a week.

I had chemo on Tuesday, March 6, at 8 a.m. They gave me a bunch of benedryl, then some kind of antibotic, then the Adriamycin, then the Cytoxan. I had to take a pill two hours before the chemo to help prevent sickness. I really had to fight to stay awake as the Benedryl made me very sleepy. I then took pills every six hours to keep from being sick. And guess what? It worked. I was tired and slept alot but did not get sick.

I went to Dr. Steele's office March 7 to get a shot of Neulasta (a blood builder). I have to get another on March 16. On March 23 they will draw my blood, and if the red cells, white cells, and platelets are okay, they will give me chemo that day. It is less than 14 days in between, but I want to get on a schedule where chemo is on Friday so I will have two days off to recoup without missing work. Yes, I was tired today, but I WASN'T sick, praise God! Not sick in the least. I am tired as I write this and will hop off to bed when I done, but I am surely praising our Lord for this blessing because I really dislike nausea and vomiting.

Many of you call me Cat. A lovely little nickname my good friend Lynda Morrell started and has followed me through life ever since. So, while e-mailing my boss with the current news, I shared with him that I have always wanted a hairless cat not realizing I would BE one some day. Sick sense of humor, I know, but I thought it was humorous. Since the doc says I'll start losing my hair within five days, I wanted to have just a little fun with it.

My specific prayer is that God will continue to touch my body so that I can take chemo every two weeks and that this chemo will work to stop the cancer and kill the cells.

My former pastor's wife said one day, "Not all of God's blessings are things He gives us. Sometimes His blessing is what He saves us from." I feel that God has blessed me richly in finding this cancer at a stage III. I'm told if I hadn't found it, it probably would have not been detected until it was too late. Eric Newton, one of my vendors, left me a card Monday signed, "Your story, God's Glory." How true it is. I have dedicated myself to giving God all the glory every step of the way and being very thankful for where I am. I am overwhelmed with the love and kindness so many people have shown me. Every day my staff amaze me. They are the best. And my daughter, what can I say...she is so amazing. She is the joy of my soul and laughter in my heart. She is truly one of the most beautiful, godly young women I know. I have no idea why God blessed me with such a wonderful daughter. I don't deserve it, but I'm thankful He did. Just when I think it is impossible to love her more, I do. Thank you, Lindsey...you are one of the most wonderful blessings the Lord has ever given me.

We took some pictures on March 6 so you all could meet my doctor, my nurses, my parents (for those of you who don't know them), and so you could see what a chemo room looks like. I'm very fortunate because Dr. Steele provides private rooms for all his patients. I hope you enjoy the pictures.



This is a picture of my nurse Jocelyn pumping Adriamycin into me. We lovingly call it red Jello. It is too thick to put through the IV, so she patiently sat and pumped it through a little at a time. You can see my dad in the background. Yes, I'm seeing the red sea each time I go to the bathroom :)




Since most people have never seen a chemo room, we wanted to give you a little look. My chair is a BIG lazy boy with heat and massage. I have my own TV with DVD player and VCR, as well as a phone. You know how girls like their phones. I also have a bell to ring if I want the nurse. However, they have warned that use without real purpose equals removal of the bell. So I guess ringing it for grapes or other food is out of the question...just my luck.




Mom and Dad went with me to my first session. Can you see tension and worry? I did my best to entertain them. We brought breakfast with us and stuffed ourselves. They laughed a lot and, believe it or not, it went fast and we had a good time.





This is my chemotherapy doctor, Dr. Steele. He's supposed to be the best, and as far as I'm concerned, he is. I love his demeaner and the fact that he jokes with us and makes us feel like we are the most important people there. He has started a cancer support group which he leads. Isn't that great?





These are two of my nurses. Jocelyn is on the left and Pam Hamilton is on the right. Jocelyn lost her husband to cancer, yet she is still full of joy. We had a great time and a bunch of fun on Monday and Tuesday. Don't let their looks fool you, they are NUTS!