Page 156 - She's One Crazy Lady!

Round One
Diary extract: Monday 22nd October
“What a night! So many phone calls. They all meant well but all I wanted to do was chill out. It didn’t help that I watched a tv documentary about a person with cancer where, at the end, viewers were made aware the patient had sadly died! Feeling bad that mum is upset about me having to go through this and there was me putting an act on that I was OK with it all – I was ‘fine!’ Well, come on Glennis, it’s only an injection and some fluids pumped in. I’d got no idea really. I’m praying I won’t be bad. I hate throwing up. I certainly don’t want to have to stay with anyone. On top of everything else I came on this morning so had stomach ache to start with! Mind you, this could be my last – at least I shall save some money! Marilyn decided last night that she is giving a name to my wig – “Hamster!” because, she said, that’s how it sits on my head! We laughed at all the spare parts I now have – false teeth, a false boob and now a wig!”
Jan greeted me when I arrived at the chemo suite. Dave drove me in, as a precaution really as we didn’t know how I would be afterwards. I was shown to one of the comfy armchairs and a few nurses were soon at my side, Jan telling me two of them were student nurses who she would be overseeing as they were going to give me two of the drugs, herself giving me the first – three in total under the acronym ‘FEC’ (initials of the three drugs) with my veins being ‘flushed’ in between each. Having to find a good vein, warm wheat bags were put on my arm before a cannula was fitted. Then I was given an anti-sickness pill and a liquid steroid. Here we go! A lady sitting in a chair next to me looked and smiled – a smile and a look that was saying ‘good luck’. What number was she on I wondered? She was wearing a bandana so I assumed she was ahead of me.
Jan explained that she would be administering something that had the name ‘5FU’ – 5 Fluoroucil (F) and that I may feel itchy below. I did. Next came a drug called ‘Epirubicin’ (E) – a pink liquid drug that, I was told, made you wee pink afterwards – the drug that costs you your hair. The student nurse was very careful and the drug was given quite slowly, Jan always asking if I felt alright. Yes, so far, so good (apart from the uncomfortable itchiness down below which, thankfully, soon subsided). The third dose was a drug called ‘Cyclophosphamide’ (C) – to supress the immune system. All over in just over an hour. I was free to go but only after they had given me a huge bag of medications to take home and take before the second round and as a backup should I experience sickness etc. I also had a green booklet that had the names of the drugs, the date and time of the next round and important hospital phone numbers should I need them.
One thing I did do and that was to invest in a season ticket for my medications – the first lot costing £24.00 – a four-month season ticket costing £31.60.
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