First Chemo

I started chemotherapy on Tuesday March 29th. With the first session they go over a lot of information including all possible and likely side effects, possible complications and how we will respond, etc... We arrived at 8am and didn't leave until 2pm. It was so wonderful to have Lulu there with me. They start with some anti-nausea mediation, then a drug that enhances or catalyzes the effectiveness of the primary chemo drug, then finish with the chemo drug. I also go home with a pump that doses out the chemo for the next 46 hours. It looks like I have the oldest cell phone attached to my belt. I go back into the clinic on Thursday where they will disconnect the pump and also show me how to do this in the future.

So far the side effects are thankfully not too bad (KNOCK ON WOOD) - knot in my stomach, occasional kind-of headache, heart palpitations. I had difficulty sleeping last night but I expect that to improve.

Activity

I did the "Lawyer ride" last Thursday and Monday, though I did notice that my HR was unusually high given my perceived exertion. Margie had noted that my hemoglobin count is a bit low, so I'm taking iron supplements but will probably need to back off of the intensity (not so easy with that ride).