1 chemo treatment down, 5 to go

It has been 8 hours since I left my chemo treatment today. So far, I have not experienced any nausea and I was able to eat dinner without any problems. However, I've noticed that my sinuses have started to get clogged, which is a known side-effect of one of the chemo drugs.

The treatment went very well this morning. The nurse began by checking my port which, thankfully, worked properly. She then began to administer my pre-meds consisting of benadryl, a steroid and an anti-nausea medication. It hurt a little bit when she accessed my port but it was very manageable. Dave and I talked about the children and he read some verses aloud. So, the benadryl plus Dave's soothing voice really made things easier for me!

The Taxotere was administered for an hour, then the Carboplatin and then the Herceptin. Thankfully, I had no immediate adverse reactions to any of the drugs. This was really a blessing because any such adverse reaction would have complicated and prolonged the rest of the treatment. I couldn't feel any of the chemo drugs enter my circulatory system, which is one of the benefits of having a port (versus an IV inserted in a vein in the hand or arm).

The steroid and the anti-nausea medication will soon wear off, however. So, it will be interesting to see how the rest of tonight and tomorrow go for me. I return to the oncologist's office tomorrow to receive my Neulasta shot which will help stimulate production of white blood cells.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me during this very big day!