Chemo Day One, part one

It’s two weeks later, and I’m sitting in the infusion center at GBMC. I’m just about finished with the Cytoxan, the second drug of the day, and then we’ll be free to go. Day One of Chemotherapy done.
The Adriamycin already turned my pee pinkish-red. The Cytoxan made my sinuses burn, but the nurse tells me that it’ll stop shortly after the infusion ends. I discovered that LifeSavers help distract from the sensation. Also, LifeSavers are delicious. I got them off the snack tray that a volunteer brought around earlier this morning, along with some delicious Lorna Doone short bread cookies.  Kevin helped himself to the slushie machine—Orange Cream! I had a couple of sips and now that I’m thinking about it, I just might stop on the way out for one of my own. What diabetes? My sugar was just fine this morning.

Lisa was my nurse, and she was excellent. Michele, the Oncology Support social worker, stopped by to see how I was doing and if I needed anything. She is going to look into the discounted membership for the YMCA for cancer patients. I’m looking forward to it—I dropped my membership about eight months ago because it was so expensive and I wasn’t using it as much anymore, but I miss the water aerobics classes, especially now during pregnancy and as my hip starts to get more aggravated. So while I’m feeling a bit squicky about asking for the special programs, I know that our finances certainly can’t support a gym membership fee right now, and I’ll suck it up and take advantage of the programs that are out there.

Speaking of finances, anybody want to buy or rent our rowhouse? It’s in a great area, it’s cute and cozy (that’s realtor code for small), and we really really really really really need someone to move in so we don’t have to carry two mortgages anymore.

Also finances? Holy crap our insurance coverage for cancer sucks. I have a $100 copay plus 30% of the cost of the drugs and agents used. Per infusion visit. Before I’m done with this, I’ll have 16 infusion visits. Plus surgery, plus radiation. Radiation is at the same rate. Wait. That can’t be right. I have to go five days a week for 6.5 or so weeks. Please God don’t let that be right.