Go Time.

First day of treatment…ready or not. Everything feeling a little surreal. Mark and Mom come with me. For some reason Mom sits far away from me in the lobby. Cue Cancer patient jokes. I also point out the WIFI password to her knowing we are likely to spend a lot of time here and she would need it. She laughed and shook her head as if I was offering her a stiff drink. Appreciating the comic relief this morning.

We arrived at 8:40A, but by the time my Oncologist has come to chat with me, figured out the cold cap and started anti nausea meds, it is already about 10:15A.

I also tried the Cold Cap for the first time. It felt like a rush of cold water at first. I eventually said “this is t so bad.” The nurse must’ve heard because then she said “This is the pre-cooling phase. Phase 2 will be colder.” 🤦🏾‍♀️ It was tolerable though. It wasn’t until later when they gave me ice packs for my hands and feet to help with Neuropathy that it really got cold. Mark attempted to put the ice packs in my socks. Unsuccessful attempt. Also found it extremely annoying and docked him a few assistant points.

So far my experience with Chemo is that it’s pretty boring. Played some cards. Texted people. Talked. They have a bunch of free snacks which usually would gain my buy in but their chip selection was lacking.

I ended up being there until 5:30. This session was especially long because the infusion was slow to ensure I had no reactions. Thankfully I didn’t. My sessions are also longer because of the Cold Cap; we thought we were done but then they said I’d need to sit with the heating pad on my head to dethaw the cap. Except then we realized about 5 minutes in that it wasn’t plugged in. Of course it wasn’t. It was a long day but I made it, and thankful there were no physical reactions

A special Thank You to my Mom’s cousin who flew in from Toronto on the 8th, to be here for my first Treatment. What a blessing to have her here, supporting me and being there to help with the kids. Eternally grateful for her kindness and selflessness. 🙏🏾

Thanks to all my dear pals who sent or dropped off Care Packages for my first Treatment. Went into this day feeling extremely loved and cared for. I hope everyone knows how truly grateful I am. 🥹

And a giant Thank You to Emily for organizing and managing the Meal Train. We are so appreciative of all that goes into that, and to all of you who continue to show your support for us. ❤️

Until next time. 🫶🏾