While trying to learn the ropes of dealing with nausea, I started radiation treatments on February 8th.  I was fortunate to have the Johns Hopkins crew from Green Spring taking care of me.  Under the care of Dr. Deb Frassica, this unit ran like a well oiled machine!  They were caring, attentive & helped me understand what was about to happen.  I got to see pictures of my tumor & the amount of space it occupied … no wonder I was in pain!  It took me longer to get to the appts, change clothes, get into the mold, than the actual treatments themselves.  I was in for 11 treatments for this first phase.

Radiation itself was not hard.  My problem was being so nauseous from taking chemo & having to ride to the appts, laying on the table & riding back home on a daily basis.  My senses were on HIGH ALERT during this time.  I could smell things from far away & even if bottles/ jars were closed.  The smell of lotions, coffee, body odor, anything would set me off … it was really rough.

I was sent home from the hospital with three different nausea meds.  For someone who rarely pops a pill, this was quite overwhelming.  Some were to be taken every 4 – 6 hours, others were to be taken at night vs morning, etc … it was too much for me to handle.  Because I felt so good the day I came home from the hospital, I forgot to continue taking the nausea meds.  It was just not on my radar, after all we were excited for the Steelers victory!

When I awoke the day after chemo, I felt SO SICK.  Oh my gosh!  Trying to determine was I just nervous or was this nausea … the big question of the day.  It’s hard to put into words how bad you really feel.  And to top it all off, we had to drive back into Hopkins for my Neulasta shot!  I was so angry & complained to Oneida I should have just paid the D*&^ copay & be done with it.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have an option … I had to endure the 25 miles back to Hopkins & getting to the clinic.  I was not HAPPY … but I did survive it.  I just wanted a day to be home & I did get one.

As I lay in the hospital taking chemo, a stranger appears at my door & introduces herself as my Social/Case Worker, Amy.  I didn’t know I had or needed a case worker.  She said that she had good news & bad news, which did I want first?  I said it doesn’t matter, just give it to me.  She explains, post chemo I will be getting a Neulasta shot to help restore my white blood cells.  The bad news was if I took it while INPATIENT, my Copay would be $745.00.  The good news was if I waited til the day after I was discharged & come back to the clinic, it would be FREE.  Considering how I was feeling at that time & doing the math, it was a no brainer … I would come back the next day!  I felt really good when I left the hospital, just a little tired was all.

I was discharged on Sunday, February 5th in time to get home & watch the SuperBowl pre-game & the Steelers VICTORY that evening!  It was a good day …

On February 2, 2006 I was admitted to Johns Hopkins for the installation of a Hickman Line & my 1st round of chemo.   The Hickman Line is a means to administer chemo,  draw blood & is placed under the skin via a surgical procedure.  Once it was in place, I was rolled in a hospital bed from the main hospital to the Weinberg Building.  (Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center)  I can remember feeling like everyone was looking at me as I was rolled thru the halls, ugh.

The administration of chemo is done 24/7 at Hopkins.  The process for me began at 7 pm on Thursday night.  I was closely monitored & it was given very  S L O W  to see what kind of reaction, if any would occur.  I was ok with everything.  It was about a 72 hour non-stop process.   Although, I did learn that a hospital is no place to get any rest!  Blood draws between 10 & midnight & vital checks at 3 a.m.  This was my FIRST hospital stay ever!

Mom, Oneida, Alice & then several friends from work visited with me that weekend.  Carol, Jacque & Bob, Karen and Diane.  It was a pleasant surprise to have everyone there as I was not expecting it :)

The last test to be done prior to chemo was a MUGGA Scan, which = heart scan. This is to get a baseline view of the heart before treatment. It was interesting to see my heart beat on a screen that looked like the “white TV snow”. Greg & Oneida went with me. Of course, Greg tried to inject his humor by shouting …. It’s a BOY! All was well with this test & I was ready to begin treatment.