What I Do on Treatment Days

My long treatment days are very exciting. So exciting I need to tell you all about them.


I schedule my appointments late enough so Kelly and I can bring Rory and Ky to school. I start my visits with bloodwork, which is always an adventure because of my crap veins. Today I gave up enough blood for the tests they needed to see before allowing me to proceed with chemo, but waited for the rest until my port was accessed. I think the lab techs draw straws to see who has me.


Then I go up to Dr. S's office. We talk about my symptoms and side-effects, test results, and upcoming treatments and testing. I don't think I have praised him enough, but he deserves high praise. I mean, really, he has to deal with me. And I am pretty sure he doesn't throw back a shot of whiskey before walking in the room.
Then we go back downstairs and I settle in to my bed while my nurse (Kate on long days), gets the meds I need. I get fluids throughout, but start with steroids and anti-nausea meds, then onto the first chemo drug, and finally onto the last one. While I am getting these meds, Kelly and I have lunch, try to watch a movie (there are a lot of interruptions!), and hang out.


This is perhaps the best part - that Kelly comes with me. He makes me laugh a lot as we wait between appointments. When I come out of the lab with the bandage on my hand instead of my arm, he knows it didn't go well. When I get on the scale he knows to wait at the doorway. When I talk to Dr. S. he doesn't snicker too much at my roundabout, semi-flakey answers. When they access my port, he cringes when I do-even though it doesn't hurt. When I comment on Jeremy Renner's cute bum in a movie, he concurs. Oh wait, no he does not.


He is a great support for a million little reasons and a million big ones. One thing I never question is the fact that I knocked it out of the park the day I married him.