Big Sandwich This Week

Tomorrow, in addition to radiation, and in addition to the Taxol chemo I get 3 weeks out of 4, I will get the more heavy-duty chemo Cisplatin. They say it's a lot to bite off, but my body seems to digest it pretty well.

The first time I had this combo, my doctor recommended I have it in the hospital, so that they could monitor me and give me IV fluids - it's important to stay hydrated, because one of the side-effects of the "Cis" can be kidney damage.

Because I tolerated the chemo, I'll have it as an out-patient, like my other chemos, only I'll be at the infusion center all day, staring at 8:30 am. I'll be drinking a lot.
Given the Decadron steroid, which makes people ravenous, I will probably be eating a lot too. Note to self: Pack lots of food.

I also always pack my mala, a small Medicine Buddha statue, and a Dharma book. I bring my laptop and usually a New Yorker magazine. I bring plenty to keep myself occupied.

After they've hooked up my port-a-cath to the IV, they give me saline, then "pre-meds," which are a few different drugs to prevent nausea and vomitting - one of which, Emend, is very expensive - thank goodness for good insurance, and for karma to have those drugs work for me; they don't work for some.
Other pre-meds help prevent reactions to the chemo drugs. I think that's what the Benadryl is supposed to do; what it *actually* does is put me to sleep.

So I bring all these things, thinking I will get a chance to read, and then I immediately fall asleep. Plane rides can be like that too: You bring material to read, work or study, but if you're like me, you barely make a dent in them a lot of the time.

I will probably be fatigued after a few days - there's a bit of a time-lag - and it will last a week or so.