I was told the first 3 days after chemo would be the worst. For me, the 3rd day is tomorrow, my birthday.
Friday, day 1, I learned and experienced a great many things. From my arrival at 9 am through nearly half-past 4, I was infused with some gnarly chemicals. Topping the list was gemcitabine. Amazingly, when that bag was brought in, hooking it up required 2 nurses for precautionary purposes. They were required to wear safety glasses and special coverings. As the juice began to flow into the IV drip, the area on the back of my hand around the needle began to burn. I was beginning to think this was either radioactive or perhaps a compound capable of physical transformation --- capable of giving me superpowers!
Unfortunately, this super cancer killer does not come with a cape…just a lot of flu-like symptoms and latent effects, like hair loss. Timing on that looks to be Christmas. Hmm. Instead of ties, maybe I’ll get some fancy hats.
And maybe in-between sessions, I can enjoy some more desirable infusions like strawberry infused water…from a glass and not an IV bag.