100th Treatment!

Before Today's Treatment

Today I sit in the chair in the infusion center for the 100th time.  (These 100 times are for treatment days; they are not counting the port access or the traveling to the hospital for scan days every three months for the past almost six years.)  100 times receiving the life extending medication keeping the cancer cells in my body from growing.  100 times having my port accessed.  100 times making the drive from Waldorf or La Plata to Georgetown, the past couple of years by myself.  100 times having my feet feel heavier with every step as I walk into the hospital from the parking garage.  100 times walking in to the infusion center to be greeted by name and with smiles.  100 times feeling stressed as my port is accessed (because I'm afraid of needles, and because sometimes the port likes to be troublesome).  100 times sitting in that chair for approximately three hours being fussed over by the staff while the life saving/extending medication flows through my veins.  100 times being wrapped in one of their warm blankets.  100 times drinking caffeinated coffee 

(I usually drink decaf on the advice of my ENT) while in that chair so that I could do my best to stay awake on the drive home.  100 times going straight to bed upon arriving home and sleeping for most of about three days.  Since the pandemic started last March also included is showering immediately upon arriving home and throwing the clothes worn directly into the washing machine).  100 times of being fussed over by my husband while sleeping away those three-ish days -- bringing me whatever food I happen to crave, be it chicken soup and toast or Chinese food, and making sure I take my oral medications twice a day, keeping my as comfortable as possible.  100 times.  If you had told me when I was diagnosed that I would have 100 treatments and counting I would have laughed.  It would have seemed an outrageous thought.  Yet here I am.  100 treatments.  Wow. 

During Today's Treatment

Driving through the city was a little surreal today.  I started out following my usual route, down Indian Head Highway to 295 to the Freeway.  That's where things were different today.  The exit for the 12th Street Tunnel and for Maine Avenue were closed, blocked off by police cars and dump trucks.  So instead of driving past the Monument and the Lincoln Memorial like I usually do, I continued on 395 into Virginia, past the Pentagon, and back into the city via the Key Bridge.  Those of us who live nearby DC take seeing these monuments and buildings for granted because we see them all the time.  After yesterday's historical swearing in of our first female Vice President, and having the city all but shut down yesterday, I noticed them (the monuments and buildings) a little bit more than usual today as I drove past them today.

Waiting for
my oncologist

So here it is, 4:30pm, and I'm hooked up with Zofran.  Zofran is a pre-med that helps curb nausea.  It's a wonderful, wonderful medication. I saw my oncologist earlier and all is well.  We're going to increase my dosage of Gabapentin (it's still a very low dose) to help with the neuropathy (tinglingon the palms of my hands and the bottoms of my feet; it can get painful) that steadily seems to get worse.  I brought cupcakes for my oncologist and her staff, as well as the infusion center staff.  They love 

Poppyjeans cupcakes

them!  Poppyjeans made the cupcakes, and they're always a hit.  I know it might sound weird to celebrate my 100th treatment, but I feel that I should mark it in some way, and think it more than appropriate to include these people who have fussed over me and cared for me and kept me alive for the past almost six years.

Honestly, I thought I'd have something more profound to say as I sit here waiting for my Herceptin to come over from the pharmacy.  Maybe it's tiredness.  I am tired all the time.

After Today's Treatment

It's coming up on 8:30pm now, and past my bedtime.  It's been a long day.  When I arrived home at around 7, my husband had ordered Chinese for dinner (thanks to Christmas gift cards 😀), and had our good china out to serve it on.  Poppyjeans cupcakes for dessert. Yum!

So, 100 treatments in the books.  Here's to 100 more!  🥂