Round Four of chemo coming up on Friday

I will be having my 4th of 6 rounds in a few days. I get many questions about what chemo is like so I'm going to describe it briefly for those who are curious. First I'm weighed, then my blood is checked to make sure the blood count levels are safe to do another round.

Then I go to the infusion room where I pick a lounge chair and am given snacks and juice if I want it. I go in for a series of IV drugs through a port that was put into my chest at surgery, first anti- nausea drugs, then 3 types of chemo drugs. The infusion takes about 2-3 hours. I don't feel any different when I leave.

So about 6-24 hours later the side effects hit me which are any combination of the following: nausea, stomach cramps, body aches (flu-like), headache, sensitivity to light and noise, constipation or diarrhea. numbness in fingers and toes, fatigue, lack of taste in food, metallic taste in food, fuzzy feeling on tongue. Most side effects last only a short time and I never know which ones I'm going to get as each round has been different. So it's just a week of wait and see and prepare to be comfortable as best you can. The clinic is very helpful in offering anti nausea drugs to alleviate stomach discomfort which work very well.

I hope that answers your questions if you happen to be curious.

My kids gave me the best birthday party ever yesterday. We watched a Jonas Brothers concert (on Regis and Kelly)! It was the best birthday I've ever had!! I loved the surprises and the I tunes. Lunch with my parents was fun, then had a nice quiet dinner with Clay.