So It Begins - Chemo #1

Today was my first Chemotherapy treatment. The night before Lorraine and I could not get any sleep. We were all very anxious. Being very itchy and having bad night sweats also didn’t help me either. Those are both symptoms of Hodgkin’s Disease. I was curious to see how I would feel when they started injecting the Chemo in my veins. In the morning I was very nervous before I started but they gave me some drugs to keep me calm. I didn’t know what to expect because every patient is different. I sat in a room with ten other chairs with people getting their treatments. I was by far the youngest person there. Everyone else was at least over sixty years old, but at least they were all in good spirits. As soon as they were all getting the Chemo everyone fell asleep. It almost felt like I was at the Barbershop ready to get my haircut or a fresh shave because the nurse gave me hot towels to cover my arms to bring out my veins. The room was very cold.

My Chemotherapy that I am getting is made up of four different types of drugs called A.B.V.D.

The first drug is called Andriamycin, which is red in color, and they push it through the vein like a shot. This will also make my urine turn red. And it did!

The second drug is Bleomycin, which I didn’t get because I am waiting to do a pulmonary function test next week and this drug can cause problems with my lungs. The Doc wants to make sure that my lungs are strong enough to receive this drug.

The third drug is called Vincristine, which is clear in color, and they push it through the vein like the Andriamycin.

The last drug is called Dacarbazine, which is clear in color but it is sensitive to light. This drug is in a dark drip bag that lasts about two hours long.

After each treatment I have to go in the next day and receive a shot to boost my white blood cells to keep up my immune system.

It is kind of boring sitting and waiting for the drugs to finish. That’s why I guess people just fall asleep while they are there. The whole process didn’t hurt at all but it felt like I was watching myself in a movie. It was like an out of body experience like I couldn’t believe I am actually doing this. My mom and Lorraine sat with me through the whole process, which was about five hours long. They are the best! Lorraine brought my ipod for me and I may bring in my DVD player next time. You see different people coming and going. The nurses are really nice. The nurses were all surprised by my tattoos because they thought I had looked like a really innocent nice guy. I told them, “I am!”

After we came home I feel surprisingly fine. I have a light headache, a little light headed and my skin is pale and a bit yellowish. Other than that I feel great! By the way James Brown says..... Stay in School!