DAY 1

Tuesday evening - sitting watching tv and thought I better get this done before falling asleep.  My eyes feel tired.

I had my treatment today - very scary walking into that room - the volunteer lady was terrific though and she is my new best friend.  They sat me down in a very comfortable chair, with a pillow and got started by plugging me into a saline drip to get some fluid into me.  I had been drinking water all day so needless to say the bathroom breaks are a little more regular!  After the saline drip - the nurse then pumps the meds in manually - they go in quicker that way.  Two huge syringes filled with pink meds first, then I had to eat ice chips before having the next one.  Apparently the white meds can cause mouth sores - so they wanted me to chill down your mouth and then the chemo is not so effective in those areas.  So like a good girl I ate my ice chips and then they pumped in the white meds.  I thought I might feel something right away but I didnt.  Very slightly perhaps in the nasal area - she told me sometimes people feel it in their sinuses and get a bit sniffly with the 2nd drug.  But it was very very minor for me so far.  Had to take a bathroom break and I was already peeing pink - just my colour!!!  Weird eh!!  The next step was a saline drip again for about half an hour and then home.  So in all it takes approx 2.1/2 hours.  Both Maureen and Brandon came with me and took turns sitting with me - Maureen and I did our knitting and Brandon entertained the nurses!!  I had to pick up another drug on the way out that will be injected by the home care nurse tomorrow.  This is the very expensive drug I told you about in previous blogs.  $2600.00 - never had a drug receipt showing that much money before!  I was worried about getting mugged on the way home!!! lol  I have this drug after every chemo treatment, it is supposed to boost the white blood count, which in turn helps the immune system.  Oh the expense - but I am lucky that my drug plan covers 80% and the Drug Company program tops it up.  So - no charge to me.  Lucky eh.

So no adverse affects so far - taking it one day at a time.  In the life of a Breast Cancer patient - 1 day down and 125 more days on chemo to go.  But today I am smiling.

Prior to going for my chemo treatment I went to the Look Good Feel Better program offered at Hearth Place.  It was a fun couple of hours - lots of makeup products provided by various sponsors - Clarins, Avon, Loreal, Shoppers, Aveno - lots of stuff to bring home with me - and a great presentation with a volunteer model to show us how to apply the makeup - particularly if the eyebrows and eyelashes are gone.  The Wig ladies were there from Baxters and they did a great presentation also.  The model lady looked beautiful by the time the makeup was on (not that she didn't look beautiful before that) - but the colours suited her and they tried several wigs on her and one of them was fab. so I was hoping her daughter, who was with her, would encourage her to get the wig.  They also tried on the caps and scarfs, turbans etc.  This particular lady looked great in them all.   So we went from there to the hospital and checked in.  Took our lunch with us (being frugal) and braced ourselves for the next step.

So got home around 4 pm, glad that they first one was over and now knowing what to expect.  I am staying up to watch Dancing with the Stars to see who gets voted off, then off to bed.  I am surprised that I didn't want to crawl into bed as soon as I got home.  I still had an appetite and enjoyed a great lasagna dinner kindly donated to us, which made life very simple for us today.

My gift for today is a 'whole pile of wonderful stuff' - a book to enjoy in my quiet time, Danielle Steel's latest "Legacy" - hope there is some good sexy bits (I'll mark the pages) lol; a beautifully smelling candle which I will place on my the table beside me; an angel to look over me which I will put on my night table; some Quality Street chocolates, which I am eating now, and some lovely body lotion that takes me away to the tropics.  But best of all was the sentiments - the writer wrote:

"No asperations of being a poet (good thing too because I can't have someone else doing my job) but let me try to set the stage .....

Picture our Jeaninne, sitting all warm and comfy in her jammies on the couch, with her feet up - beside her on the table, the soft flicker and glow from a candle.  Having just finished massaging her hands with refreshing lotion she is ready to dive into a good book, while enjoying some bonbons....All this with a special angel to carefully watch over her ......."  

Thank you, thank you.  By the way the bonbons are gone as I write!!! lol

Steve is with me for a few days 'cos Nicole is in New York - so he is behaving himself.  He is getting spoiled because Maureen keeps giving him cheese - he loves his cheese.  But he is not sleeping in the front hall when the girls are home - only when George is home alone - not sure he likes George much - perhaps it is his walking cane that intimidates him!  :)   He is flat out now.

Well - I will say goodnight.  Thanks for your prayers and thoughts.  I appreciate everyone.

Love J