Thursday - Chemo #7 , 1 before the last one

Although it is really getting hard to ramp up for working out and just as I am feeling ok get hit by the chemo truck and start over again (this is so demoralizing) I was able to get dressed and head to the gym before work. I think Ferit is right, it is good that I started working, of course right now I really want to do the things I did not do while I was off (curl up on the couch with a book, go window shopping) naturally I had to start to work to appreciate the freedom I had.
I was able to do a 2 min jog at 5 mph, 1 min walk - total of 3 miles averaging 14:20 min/miles with average/max heart rate 166/173 - not bad.
I also set up my 2nd assessment session with the trainer at the gym.
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After getting some work in, we left with Sibel to the chemo session, I recalled how scared/excited I was for my first one, now it just seems like a chore, how ones perspective of things changes I thought, and one gets used to the things that were once viewed as horrible. Chemo is doable and not a biggie, the thing that bothers me most are the wigs, I wish I could go 'commando' but my scalp is soo white.
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Because the oncology office was overbooked, they did not have any 'recliners' for me I was booked to get my chemo somewhere else after I saw Dr. M.
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After grabbing some takeout from Panera, and taking 2 movies to watch during chemo we were at the office at 2:30 and they informed me that my chemo was scheduled to be tomorrow Friday WT.. ??? We had discussed this and I had told them that I was going to the cancer center at Tampa tomorrow and could not make it and definitely did not want to push my next treatment to Monday. They told me I was not booked at the other facility either(which I was assured of 2 weeks ago on the phone). Just as I was sharpening my chemo b..tch teeth to give it to them (even my usually very low BP went up ! ) Dr. M's nurse jumped in rolling her eyes and immediately fixed the things phewww..she warned me that things did NOT go that fast in the other facility and get prepared for a long night.. hmmm.. taxol takes about 4 hours here I thought, how worse could it get?
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During visit with Dr. M we again went over what we were going to do after my chemo. He is standing his ground that I need to get an axillary node dissection and then only if needed( total of 4 nodes test positive) get radiation.He also added that if I chose not to do the surgery ' he is still my friend' that is he will not dis-client me. This is so frustrating that the same group doctors are not agreeing, can't wait to get the opinion from Moffit tomorrow. I am hoping that he will also say no surgery.
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Since I had not gotten my neulesta(white cell booster) last time my blood counts were pretty low, so they scheduled me to get the neulesta tomorrow at 4:30 or if I can not make it in time back from Tampa to get it on Monday at 2:30 which I really do not want cause it is the New Years eve.
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We were able to make it to the hospital which I was scheduled to get my chemo around 5 pm.
First they made us wait at the lobby,
Then I had to go and do the new patient registration .. oh c'mon I thought don't you guys have a central database that they could pull from the oncologists office ? After all it is the same hospital !
Then they brought the wheelchair. That was the last drop, I must have opened my eyes soo big and hollered at the nurse so bad that I just went jogging and what was she thinking ! She said ok .. ok.. and let me walk upstairs. Good thing about being a c patient noone tries to push back that much.
And surprise !! I will be getting the chemo in the hospital room by myself, woohooo I thought, I can even nap if I want to on the bed.
Released Sibel and Ferit came over around 6.
Finally ate my Panera sandwich and salad.
The nurse came around 6:30 and said I will assess you now, and went over the things, blood pressure, weight.
Then around 7 she came again and said ' good news.. the pharmacy got your prescription and it should be ready in 1.5 hours ???????' so this is what Dr. M's nurse was talking about, these people are slow.
They gave my premeds which knocked me out around 7:30.. but then everyone went MIA, we could not find the nurse, finally figured out that there was a shift change and the night nurse was supposed to start my chemo. Ok.
Night nurse came aroun 8:30 finally and started the drip, and informed me that they would be taking my vitals every 15 minutes huh ? no sleep for me ? this is a bit too much I want my oncologists office recliner.
After the 1st 15 minutes the BP measuring cuff on my foot got really claustrophobic and I took it off, and got yelled at 'you are not supposed to take it off, it will measure your bp every 15 minutes'. So no potty break either, ok .. this is not going good. Was able to persuade her to take my vitals every 30 minutes after the hour so i would take it out and put it on before the 30 minutes.
That was the longest chemo session I did. The drip finished around 12 am and we were home around 1, what a night life.
Then we figured out why that facility was so anal, only the chemo patients who have severe problems while getting chemo are sent there, so they really have to be careful with those people. I was just there cause my oncologist office was overbooked.
I was able to sleep well, only got up once around 3 and read QiGonk book until 5 and went to bed again.
Elif had tricked me that there was another package of fudge in the freezer and I spent 10 minutes rummaging through the fridge.. all frustrated, good thing I could not find it. I settled for applesauce with cinnamon, that somehow satisfies my cravings.