2 down, 6 to go: or All I want for Christmas

So I just finished chemo session 2 - what everyone wants for Xmas a lovely dose of red poison. I know the Cytoxan is also poison - but it is clear and isn't delivered through a syringe and doesn't your urine red - so it seems less scary. Of course it can cause bladder issues but drinking plenty of water isn't really a problem I have.

Because of the holiday and limited nursing staff I was sent up to 7 West to get my chemo (usually I go to 5 North). 7 West is usually used for chemo given as part of research studies but also serves as overflow - it meant I got to hang out in a private room with the choice of a bed or a chair. After they took some blood and found out my test results were fine for me to get chemo the procedure was mainly the same as last time - anti-nausea medicine, steroids then the bringing in of the chemo and my nurse donning protective gear and covering the area before shooting in the red drug.

Given 5north and 7 west seem like they should be in different buildings or different wings but they are almost on top of each other - the north and west seem to refer to the direction you work when you come out of the elevator. Things you learn when you spend time in random hospital buildings.

This time was different due to the lovely company I had with my. My friend Susan came with me and the monotony of having drugs drip into my system was broken by following her son's progress in driving in snowy upstate NY. The magic of text messaging and 17 year olds with quick fingers. He was with his dad - who we can only assume was driving - as texting and driving in a snow storm seems like a really bad idea, even or especially for a 17 year old.

I'm feeling pretty good and have gotten surprisingly mellow about my hair being gone. I wore one of the caps from Julie to chemo - (thank you Julie). It seemed overkill to wear a wig - they already know I have cancer at the hospital. The caps are cute round and actually look okay and Julie wore them when she was going through chemo last year. I have about 8 caps in different colors and textures - more than enough to get me through and to swap out with Jackie and Kiki, we'll see if I wear something besides the wigs to work.

Otherwise Xmas was good - my friend BoSoxFox was around and we saw a movie and ate vietnamese food before the Celtics Lakers game - (do you see a pattern in her life yet?) Then I came home got somewhat organized and was ready for today. I have a stocked refrigerator and freezer and may be ready for a nap.

I hope you all had a fabulous Xmas and a great time with your family and friends. I'm feeling fine but the mellowness of the drugs is starting to fall. (Kind of like fog - will try to keep posting over the next few days but word choices might be funky.)

Kim