Prepping for my first chemo and I’m not really sure what I need to be doing. I cannot believe I decided to go on with chemotherapy. In less than two weeks I will begin a course of chemo. In a week I’ll be getting a port installed to make this process a whole lot easier. There will also be a CT scan done prior to the port. It is amazing to me how quickly this whole thing moves once decisions are made.
Recurrence Chances
The doctor told me my chances of not having a recurrence are something like 85%. With treatment, the number goes up to 92%. While not a huge increase, given the aggressive character of dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma, it made sense to me to give my body a bit more help. Coupled with the supplements I’m taking I’m thinking this thing can be beaten.
I mentioned to the doc that my belief is the original cancer, the low grade cancer, was earned. In other words, my excess weight set up the perfect environment for endometrial cancer. However, my thought is that the dedifferentiated part of the cancer may very well have to do with Covid, either the disease itself or the immunization. The doctor went on to tell me he has very rarely seen any cases of dedifferentiated endometrial cancer yet just in December he had three women diagnosed with it, clearly an anomaly. Sadly the other women were all worse in terms of staging. I am one of the lucky ones. Could it be everything I did while deciding on the hysterectomy kept it from progressing? I’ll never know for sure.
I’ll Be Losing My Hair
The doctor assured me I’d be losing my hair. Oh well.
CT Scan With Questionable Results
Next step was the CT scan with contrast. It wasn’t a big deal. However, I did get some questionable results. “Bone islands” appeared in two different areas that need to be followed in the future. I’m guessing it is nothing but the radiologist needs to make note of it. The other issue that showed up was a nodule discovered on my thyroid. It is small enough that it is not a major concern but, nevertheless, the radiologist suggested an ultrasound to better assess the status of the nodule.
Port Installation
A few days later I was back at the hospital to get the port installed into my chest. I have to admit that I started to feel like an old pro with this surgery stuff! I was told it was a rather simple procedure and that turned out to be true.
Waking up from surgery, I found there was some bleeding that occurred during the procedure and my hair was sticky from it. Yuck. I had blood on my face but that was more easily cleaned up. Worse yet, I couldn’t take a shower for a couple days so no washing my hair easily until then. The port surgery site hurt. The incision hurt. I couldn’t sleep on my side, either side, so I had no choice but to sleep on my back. There was now a bump on my chest where the port is. From the port going toward my neck, is what feels like a small catheter. I actually don’t know enough about a port to understand just how that catheter functions. Is that the part of the port that is feeding into the vein? Well, that’s my best guess.
The port healed without issue. After a few weeks sleeping on my side was no longer a problem.
I Feel More Like a Cancer Patient
The interesting thing about all this prepping for chemo is how I finally find myself feeling more like a cancer patient for the first time. I have entered into a system that is more than I’ve experienced before. Cancer is surely an enterprise. First this, then that and move on to something else. Very overwhelming in many ways.
In the middle of all these preparations, I find myself thinking on and off about the thyroid nodule that was found. Is that metastatic cancer? I don’t know and no one is talking to me about it in the moment. Nothing like throwing a bit more anxiety into the mix!
Chemo Induced Neuropathy
One of the things I feared the most about chemotherapy was the possibility of getting neuropathy in either feet, hands or both. Far too many going through carbo/taxol chemo find they have some kind of neuropathy afterwards. Sometimes it eventually goes away; sometimes it doesn’t get better. In my research I learned that one way to help keep that from happening is to ice the hands and feet while getting infused. While it sounded like torture since chemo can last a while, I decided that the torture of the cold would be better than the potential of years of neuropathy.
Getting The Chemo Bag Together
I found myself prepping for my first chemo by pulling together all the things I needed for my chemo bag, the stuff I will be bringing with me to keep me comfortable and occupied. Since I decided to use ice mittens and booties to help keep neuropathy at bay, I bought an insulated bag for the frozen ice packs that are used. While I had various bags, I decided to get a new one, special for chemo. It was a bit smaller than any I already had and was pretty.
I’m big into pretty when things might be tough, things that make me feel better. When I got it after ordering I found it to be the perfect size and, yes, it was pretty! I also ordered the ice mittens and socks. Both were from Amazon. I also ordered an extra set of ice packs for the mittens and socks so I could be sure to stay cold throughout the session.
Don’t Forget the Snacks!
I packed all sorts of food things – ginger cookies, cashews, ginger candies. Okay, so the truth is I way overpacked but I had no idea just what I would be needing. I packed my favorite throw blanket along what a small pillow, the same pillow I used after my hysterectomy over my belly and under the seatbelt. Both of those remained keepers in my chemo bag. It was embarrassing to see how much stuff I brought with me! Yeah, I overpacked. Second round of chemo saw me bringing a whole lot less!
I’m afraid of chemo and its potential side effects. Just a few more days. I’ve never believed in it and yet I find myself moving in that direction. Yes, I’m scared.
