Chemo #1

Mom got her port put in yesterday and it went very well.  I met with the surgeon after he was done, and he said he was able to attach the port catheter to the small vein.  If they hadn't been able to do that, they would've had to go behind the collarbone to get to the "big one", and when you do that, you risk puncturing a lung.  So we were happy to have avoided that possibility.  Other than slight soreness and being tired, she said she felt great!

This morning we got here just before 7am and mom got her blood drawn to check all her levels and whatnot before we start chemo.  Both her and the RN have to wear masks for now as her port is being accessed since it is so new.  They do not want ANY germs near it.  Mom is so funny when she gets her blood drawn or anything that might hurt a bit.  Before they even touch her, she's all "oowie, oowie, oowie, oowie, oowie."  The RNs are so confused but they can't help but laugh.

Yes, that was mom being surprised at the end that I didn't pass out.  Sometimes I'm probably a questionable choice for caregiver. 😬

All of her labs have come back great and she's currently getting her pre-meds (benadryl, steroid, etc) to try to combat some of the side effects she may experience.  This first treatment they will administer very slowly, so as to not overwhelm her body.  This will likely take 6 or 7 hours once we start the actual chemo.  After that, we will get discharged and head to the airport around 7pm to catch our 9:35pm flight. 😩 It wouldn't be so bad except our last 2 flights have been delayed 1.5 to 3 hours and it makes an already long day very long.  I think next time we are going to try to come in the morning of her chemo, stay that night, and come back the next morning, assuming we can get it all worked out with her appointments and the scheduler.

Currently, mom is starting to ramble as the benadryl starts to set in.  It's funny.  She's starting to slur and her eyes are so heavy.  But she swears she's not tired.  Now she has the giggles and can't stop laughing.  Gonna be an interesting day, folks! 😉 Cheers to her first treatment! 👍🍻 #becausemamaisacouplemargaritasaheadofusall