Chemo Session 1 Day 2

I got to the hospital on time with my wonderful husband in tow. We were ushered into a small comfortable room with blue armchairs (poor relatives had hard back chairs!) with each armchair filled with a person receiving treatment of one kind or another.

The staff at the Shooting Star Treatment unit were wonderful, all of them. Cheerful, bright and professionally reassuring. Each aspect of my treatment was explained to me in a kind and positive way which immediately diminished my fear.

I soaked my hand in warm water to bring the veins out then was canulised. I could feel the saline pumping through with tickled and cheered me up in a funny sort of way. I then had a heated pad placed over my arm to stop the veins closing down when the chemo was administered.

My chemo was injected into the tubes by the nurse and it was a really pretty red colour... I knew it was the colour for me!

As the drugs got into my system I started to feel strange, its really hard to discribe with words but the closest description is that I felt hung over and whoozy. Once the chemo was in, the nurse let the saline pump through to help with the strange feeling.

My husband was great throughout this whole process. He was my eyes and ears, I knew I could rely on him to look after me and make sure he remembered all of the details that I knew I would forget. He is my protector!

We left the hospital at 3.15pm and were in time to meet my mum and Auntie bringing my two sons home from school and I was met with a lovely welcome. I chatted and reassured my mum who was quite upset by the whole thing and as they left my best friend arrived and was amazed at how well I looked and was holding up!

One thing this whole cancer thing has shown me is just how many friends I have, true, kind, genuine friends and a tiny minority of those people who just dont matter. Most of my neighbours have been brilliant. We have had parties, coffee chats and always words of support and jokes.

Once every one left I felt tetchy and out of sorts so although my head was buzzing I went to bed to be alone. Thats all I really wanted at the time was to be alone and lick my wounds.

The time in bed was lovely. My eldest son came up for a short time and sorted out the TV for me because I couldnt get it to work but he could!!!! Later on that night I felt well enough to join my husband down stairs and help him to sign onto face book - what fun! A packet of crisps and a glass of ginger beer later I was having a wonderful face book chat with one of my customers and one of my weight watcher buddies who is a hoot I hasten to ask. You know who you are JS!

So, here I am today. Expecting to be sick but I am not! Did they give me the chemo?????

I had terrible lower back ache last night which made me want to scream but woke up pain free this morning. I still feel hungover and my head is buzzing as though I have had too many additives...... I have bouts of energy and bouts of tiredness but it is a strange sort of tiredness because although I feel weak and tired, I cant sleep.

Boys have gone out with their Nana and my husband to celebrate their joint birthdays and although I am sad that I cant be with them I am so glad of the rest.

Downstairs, my dogs are subdued. I may have fooled everyone else about how I feel with an tirade of words and smiles but I cant fool them......