Chemo College

I learned something at Chemo College yesterday that has made my entire YEAR!!!  Here I thought of burning my 2016 calendar once this year is finally over, but now....NO WAY!  I am.....oh my gosh I can hardly type this....I am.....I'm.....sniff!....sniff!....happy...happy.... I am

Somewhere along the way, I GREW AN INCH!  HOLY COW!  This is HUGE!  GARGANTUAN!  THE BIGGEST THING TO HAPPEN TO ME SINCE I GOT MY DRIVER'S LICENCE WHEN I WAS 16!  All these years I thought I was only 5' tall.  I could have told Pat Benetar that we are BOTH 5'1" when I met her a few years ago!  OMGosh...every little thing is going to be alright!

They had to measure me *exactly* and get my exact weight yesterday so when they mix my chemo, it is specific to ME.  I had no idea that this would be SOOO SUPER FANTASTIC!

I wish they had a Chemo College when my mom was diagnosed.  It was AWESOME.  We reviewed all of my drugs and their potential side effects.  We talked about things I need to be aware of, numbers to call, etc.  It was VERY, VERY informative.   It was a bit overwhelming at times...but not as overwhelming if I hadn't already been down this road with my mom.

The biggest issue is going to be my immune system.  It will be non-existent.  I am going to have to be extremely careful not to come into contact with any germs.  I am starting a regimen of antibiotics next week, and will continue to take them 2 months *after* I finish 6 months of chemo.  I'm also allergic to about 10 antibiotics already, so hopefully the ones I start taking on Monday will be compatible with my body.

Besides infection, I also have to watch out for blood clots.  My mom had one of these, so I'll be keeping a close eye out for them.  There is a list of other things too...but as long as I stay aware of how I'm feeling, I'll be fine.  I don't need to be of the mindset, "Oh, I can just take a nap and I'll probably start to feel better later".  Nope.  If something changes, I need to call my Cancer Center.  And for some of the changes that might happen, I'll need to call 911.

I'm going to make myself a new "In Case of Emergency" card.  It's now gotten a LOT more complicated.  But conquerable.  Definitely conquerable and manageable.  

Tomorrow I'm going to put my pills into one of those little daily dispenser things so I don't have to think about what to take each morning and night.  This will just become part of my Sunday "get ready for the week" routine.  I can do that.

The countdown to chemo has started. 
I'm ready.
I'm definitely ready to get this party started!

I've totally got this...

❤️,
Bubba