Starting Chemo

January 27, 2008 - Hats, Hats and More Hats! My friend Caryn brought over a huge assortment of hats and fun earrings for me. She is awesome! I have a huge box of hats now. The kids love trying them all on. She brought a purple cowboy hat, fake fur hat, sun hats, fun caps, every kind of hat you could imagine. I am set. I have knitted a few hats. Dacca, Sallie, Dana, Karen & Kay knitted hats for me. I have a growing collection of baseball hats (which I love to wear) and bandanas to wear under the hats. Auntie Deb brought back two Minnie hats from Disneyland. Mom ordered some hats for me, Judy made some special ones and Sue sent a sparkly pink one.

February 2, 1008 - Went and got my hair cut really short. I couldn't imagine seeing all of my long hair fall out. I don't look like myself. I've had long hair for such a long time. Debbie went with me. We went out to lunch, shopping and had a pedicure. Fun day. I look in the mirror and don't recognize myself. I can't imagine being bald!!


February 12, 2008 - First day of chemotherapy. My first round of chemo was weekly for 12 weeks. I took daily oral Cytoxan and had a weekly infusion of Adriamycin. Adria is red. It looks like Hawaiian Punch or red Kool-Aid. I received anti-nausea medications and steroids before the infusion. During the infusion I listened to the chemo play list on my ipod. When the "red stuff" started going in I played Onward Christian Soldiers and visualized an army going in through my veins to kill the cancer. It was a surreal experience. It seemed like I was doing what had to be done, but could this really be happening to me? I had to be strong and fight. After chemo I came home and slept for a while. All in all it's not too bad so far.


[Cytoxan is an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug. The side effects of Cytoxan and their severity depend on how much of the drug is given. In other word, high doses may produce more severe side effects: low blood counts, hair loss, nausea and vomiting, poor appetite, loss of fertiliity, discoloration of skin and nails, mouth sores, bladder irritation, diarrhea, slight risk of developing blood cancer such as leukemia.)][Adriamycin is a trade name for Doxorubicin. Adriamycin is an anti-cancerchemotherapy drug. This medication is classified as an "anthracycline antiobiotic." Adriamycin is given through a vein by intravenous injection (IV). Adriamycin is a vesicant. A vesicant is a chemical that causes extensive tissue damage and blistering if it escapes from the vein. The nurse or doctor who gives adriamycin must be carefully trained. If you notice redness or swelling at the IV site while you are receiving adriamycin, alert your health care professional immediately. Side effects of Adriamycin: Pain along the site where the medication was given, nausea or vomiting, low blood counts, increased risk for infection, anemia and/or bleeding, mouth sores, hair loss, urine may appear red, red-brown, orange or pink from the color of the medication for one to two days after you receive a dose, darkening of the nail beds, problems with fertility. A serious but uncommon side effect of adriamycin can be interference with the pumping action of the heart. You can receive only up to a certain amount of adriamycin during your lifetime. This "lifetime maximum dose" may be lower if you have heart disease risk factors such as radiation to the chest, advancing age, and use of other heart-toxic drugs. Your doctor will check your heart function before you may take any adriamycin and will monitor your heart closely during your treatment. Dose-related heart problems can occur as late as 7 or 8 years after treatments have ended. There is a slight risk of developing a blood cancer such as leukemia years after taking adriamycin.]


February 15, 2008 - Wig shopping with Julie. We tried on tons of wigs. It was fun and hilarious. The lady at the wig store was very cool and she'd obviously dealt with cancer patients before. I tried on cool purple one that I thought would be fun for Husky games. We tried on all kinds. I wound up with one that looked really close to my regular hair. It's human hair and I like it, but don't know how much I'll wear it. It seems weird to one day wear a hat or scarf then the next day wear the wig. Nathan is glad I have a wig and we'll see if he likes it. Maybe I'll wear it if we go out to dinner or something. Anyway, it's good to have it as an option.


February 19, 2008 - MUGA Scan on my heart. A test to check for heart damage prior to starting the Adriamycin, which can cause heart damage. The scan turned out fine.


February 26, 2008 - I've had three weeks of chemo so far. My hair has started falling out. It's happening fast. One day I put a brush through it and the brush was full of hair. Time to shave my head! Yikes!! What will I look like bald? I don't want to know... Debbie came over. We had a shot of tequila and she shaved my head for me. What a friend! In the end, it's just hair. Saving my life is what's really important. I know that, but I sure do miss my hair.