Big Chemo #1 is DONE!

Today was big chemo #1 (out of six). I will have weekly abbreviated infusions of Herceptin for the initial 18 weeks as well, so that will be Baby Chemo. The RN had some trouble accessing my port which was not a surprise to me. When they flushed it on 6/25 and then tried to get blood, it was challenging to say the least. Today was troublesome, but it wasn't a big deal to me. They just have to be sure tht the drugs will get to where they need to be prior to starting the infusion. The morning started out with the pre-meds and all went well. I was told I would sleep because of the Benedryl dose. I learned it was just 25mg which never works for me. Add to that the Sunday steroid doses and I was not going to settle down. Once we got started with the Taxotere there was just a slight problem with my blood pressure running a little high, so the RN sat with me for about 20 minutes to continue watching it. There was some improvement, so they felt I was tolerating it well. Next came Carboplatin and a nice feeling of heavy pressure on my chest and tingling in my toes. It did not cause trouble breathing, but the RN did stop the drip and ran some saline (I think) for about 5 minutes and then resumed with no other issues. The final drug of the day was Herceptin which would take about 90 minutes. It weren't well, though I did have that heavy chest feeling again around 20 minutes into the infusion, but again, no cause for alarm since they were all on HIGH ALERT (I like to call it Def Con 4) since it was my first chemo session. All in all, I was relived to know they were right there keeping a close watch on me. And it was a pretty good day, despite the circumstances. The other patients and their caregivers were friendly and would offer words of encouragement or tips they fund helpful since it was my first time. I enjoyed showing off the super-sweet pictures of Team Mini-Pink to all who were interested. And I loved sharing information about the Cancer Support Community of East TN. It is an amazing resource for cancer patients and their families in our area. I have got to get some rest after sleeping from 4-7:30am this morning prior to chemo #1. Those stupid steroids! I feel blessed that I had such a good experience today. The nurses at TN Cancer Specialists are amazing! My Facebook post just before heading out: Tap. Tap. Tap. "Hey breast cancer. Yeah,you. I am about to open up that can of whoop a**! The doctors are coming armed with weapons of mass destruction. My friends and family are armed with prayers. My kids are cheering me on. And God is going to be there too. YOU ARE GOING DOWN BREAST CANCER! Today is just the first day of a very miserable road for you evil cancer. The end of that road is not far away" I am seriously going to kick this breast cancer booty! Peace.