• Even though there’s surgical glue still over the incision where the port is, they can still access it without problem. No pain. This was my primary anxiety going in to the day, I was happy as a clam after that.
• Yay, Michelle, my RN for the day.  All the staff are amazing.
• When Cycle 2 takes place (in three weeks), it’s more than likely going to be done in-patient. 5 days at the hospital starting April 2nd.  Which means Easter weekend.  We will make adjustments, but I hate being the cause of inconveniencing others. 
• This treatment requires some follow-up meds usually administered by IV, which would require returning to the hospital twice later in the evening to receive that.  An alternative is drinking it.  It smells like burned flesh, takes about like that too, I imagine.  The plan, made after significant discussion with the Pharmacist is, “dilute it and shoot it.”  I chose Red Gatorade because I wanted it in something I didn’t like much. Among other things, it seems college has prepared me for this:



• College did not prepare me for the wall of nausea that happened 15 minutes later.  Turns out, I was more reponsible than I though back then. And, that one time, at the toga party? That was easy in comparison.
• Sometimes insurance companies are assholes. They just are. As a for-profit busines they kind of have to bea  little bit. There’s a pill version of the vile thing I drank, but it’s immensly expensive and they won’t approve it.  I get where they are coming from, I have a short history with them, but their PR might improve by taking into consideration the human side.  It means moving the arguements up the ladder there, so a patient financial advocate is working on that for us now.
• Treatment itself was uneventful.  There is the absurdity that I was eating lunch at the same time something the color of red Kool Aid was being pumped into me. But it’s painless and, as mentioned before, the staff are incredible!!!
• One of the anti-nausea meds causes a “benedryl effect.” Heh.  We noticed this at the grocery store on the way home afterward. It was like having one-too-many glasses of wine. Kathy wouldn’t let me go to other parts of the store unaccompanied. 
• While I never want to have the follow-up shooter drug again in that manner, we think that having a bit to eat beforehand might have helped.  I try this with the second dose and it’s not as horrible.  
• Toast with peanut butter may become  a staple meal.
• I may never drink red Gatorade again.
• There’s a bizarre thrill knowing you made it through a night without throwing up.  It may be vile, but the vile stuff (Mesna) is meant to protect my bladder. We wanted it to stay down and do it’s thing. But, seriously, it’s like the after taste that won’t go away… 12 hours later it peeks in to remind me!!
• The hospital is close, it’s worth a drive to avoid drinking the Mesna.
• We need a scale for nausea the way doctors have a scale for pain.  Where 0 is “I’m feeling so good, I’m going to the gym then eating Mexican food,” and 10 is “Dry heaving because I just can’t stop.”  At least with an in-house measure, Kathy would know what I mean when I’ve gone from “ooky” to “blergh.”
• People just give you nice things. A young lady came by with her mom (who is also a patient at MSTI) just before we left to share the pretty scarves she chrocheted. She gave me this one:  

It’s the morning after, I feel okay. I’m not running to the gym, but I’m managing a Bagel Thin with peanut butter and some apple juice. Slowly, but managing.  The anti-nausea meds help, but the Mesna getting out of my tummy is best.  If I can get some decent nutrition, I may even walk around the block.  

Walking and fluids; these are the things that we are told will help the most. I just have to manage the other things so being able to do the walking and the fluids is accomplished.