Chemo #8

Yesterday was chemo # 8 of 17. Just 9 more to go-single digit count down! This time instead of meeting with the lady that assists my oncologist as well as my breast care doctor and is an DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, before chemo, I met with my oncologist. He explained that since radiation was completed it was now time to start me on the anti-estrogen oral medicine, called Tamoxifen, which I will be on for 5yrs. He mentioned the importance of me not being on it during anytime that I could become pregnant or was planning to conceive and asked me he proceeded to ask me if I was planning to have kids in the next 5yrs. I told him well I have to get married first so as of now I was good-he just laughed and said ok. I asked him about side effects just as an fyi-blood clots(risk increases with sedentary lifestyle and smoking)were the most common. On to the chemo...as I was receiving treatment, a lady who seemed to often have the same chemo day as me came in and as we were talking mentioned that she remembered how weak I looked the first time she saw me when the treatment center was located in a different building. I shared with her that that was my first treatment(and TGBTG for all that He's done since then and the many ways that He has increased my strength). She mentioned that they told her back then that we had the same type of cancer (estrogen and her2 positive). However hers was at stage 3, which was more advanced than mine. She also mentioned that she had had to take a break and reschedule some of the treatments and was still undergoing the pre-surgery chemo which includes the Taxotere (which I too had to take pre-surgery). She'll have the same surgeon that I had too. I told her getting off the Taxotere makes a big difference explaining how it attacks everything that's dividing (which causes the hair loss, digestive issues, etc.) versus the Hercepton and Projeta that target cancer. Prayerfully she was encouraged. So... I was thinking I would be able to go to work after chemo since I didn't have radiation right before it like I did last time...well it didn't quite happen like that. I felt the pre-meds-kick in (that Benadryl is something else) and was fighting sleep for a good portion of the time that I was in there and when I was done,in straight chill mode, I said to my aunt I guess I have to get up now? Lol By the time we got to the car and I sat in the driver's seat with the door still opened I said that stuff (referring to the chemo) made me all giggly this time. No sooner than me getting those words out I started laughing, and laughing, and laughing and then my aunt started laughing and she asked me if I could drive. At first I told her yes but then I changed my mind and told her she'd better drive LOL. side note: it's a family trait on my daddy's side that when we get sleep and delirious we get real silly, goofy, giggly. So that in addition to the Benadryl that they add to the pre-meds did it. Anyway when my aunt started driving I told her she couldn't drive to fast because I had to have time to concentrate and think about which way to direct her while driving. If we were going straight back to my apartment she would have been able to make it without any help with directions but we had to go drop my new prescription off at CVS to be filled. God blessed us to get there and back to my apartment safely though I had to encourage her to use the breaks because around here we may have the right of way doesn't mean the other car would abide by that. Didn't take long for either one of us to get that nap in once we got back-lol. Tonight is her last night here but we've had so much FUN and I'm thankful. I know my daddy felt bad because he wasn't within driving distance this time but God worked it out-took care of His baby girl and all is still well:-)