First Chemo 10/16/13

        

Hello, Friends,
Thank you for checking in on me. How am I feeling today? Lightheaded, a little tired, "Chemo Brain" weird feeling in the head, not too hungry, kind of shaky/nervous/edgy.... but all in all okay and peaceful....Pretty Nurse Sue (MSN) visited tonight to give me my Neulasta shot to help white my blood cell production that will boost my immune system. Hand washing is always a must but even more so these days.

My first chemo treatment yesterday went well. The folks at H.U.P. were amazing and friendly as usual. One of my bffs, Sue McCarty, (of my song 'Sue's Mustang') accompanied me and we had fun driving down to the big city of Philly together. It was quite an experience for two country girls! At one point 'The City of Brotherly Love' showed it's evil twin side. We were on 676 W and had to get over quickly into the right lane to get off at the exit for 76. I opened my window and politely and sweetly asked a truck driver "May we please sneak in?" He shook his head in a stone face and said matter-of-factly, "No." I thought he was joking and I smiled with my pretty Mary Kay Toffee lipstick and Fancy Nancy lip gloss on and said "Really? We can't sneak in?" Again and this time adamant and even more stone-faced he said "No."

Grrrrr...."REALLY?"  both Sue and I replied at the same time (after I had rolled up the window!)

Here are some pics. I will send you a few more as they come from Sue's phone. It was a  pretty long day. We left at 8:45 a.m. and got home at I think 6:30 or 7. My brain was very foggy when we got home. I think it's called  "Chemo Brain" and it's still a little foggy today...I'm usually more clear-headed...but let's face it, I often have my "redhead moments" on days anyway so it might just be that!  But seriously I do feel weird in the head...

A pretty "Fellow", and Robin the Nurse Practitioner, and I looked at my Emend pills.
There are a lot of pills to take after chemo and Robin made me a calendar for them.

During this visit Sue and I got bored waiting so we began to get silly in the waiting room and started snapping  photos of us talking on a banana as a phone. When Dr. Domcheck came in, we quickly hid the banana and informed her that we were "Just taking photos with a banana!" She says, "I don't even want to hear about that!" But we had to vindicate ourselves so we actually showed her the "innocent" photo of me using the banana as a phone so she wouldn't think we were doing anything Miley-Cyrusey in her office! She laughed and I think felt relieved that her office wasn't being used for ill-purposes by these two hooligans!

CHEMO CHECK-In

 

Cute receptionist wearing a tasteful bow tie and the lovely Chan

who is doing studies on breast cancer at H.U.P.
I had to set-up my next three chemo appts.

 

Getting the chemo... 

 Sue & I may look serious here but we had many laughs, trust me! 

 

 

 

 

  'Trudy the BEAUTY' stopped by and she even brought her homemade pasta fagiole soup, which is awesome because she's the best ________ (fill in blank) cook I know! I honestly wasn't sure if she would give the soup up though. She carried it around in a Tupperware container the whole day, it wrapped in a couple plastic grocery bags all swaddled sweet as a newborn babe and carried it like that even all the way to my car in the parking garage. I practically had to pry it out of her hands. (It was still warm! Probably from her holding it so closely to her bosom all day!) ) Trudy said she "Just didn't want it to leak." Ha - but I knew better...Yes her soup is that good. She is very, very protective of it. She's a Home Ec teacher after all, so I can't blame her. Cooking is her gift, her passion. Eating is mine! I call that a win-win situation! Plus is she so stinkin' pretty. Shouldn't she have her own cooking show? It could be called, 'Gert's Gastronomies' or something like that. I can be her producer!

 Upon arriving back home we noshed on the said soup and talked and re-grouped...

 

Eli drinking milk out of his special milk-drinking glasses!

 

 

 

 

 Soup is always better when shared

with family and friends!!!!

 

And just when we thought it was safe to go out...

 

The Gummy Bear Thief appeared!!!!!

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

 Driving back on 676 East to 95 North...

Annie: "Sometimes I feel guilty being happy these days..."

 

Sue: "It's okay Anne, there will be times you will not feel too happy....so my advice is to CHUCK IT UP WHEN YOU CAN!!!"

(Sue had meant to say "Yuck it up!" but we sure did have a laugh at that one!) 

*Sometimes Sue gets word meanings mixed up (as do I)

and it's a very endearing quality on her.

And actually, under these circumstance 'Chuck it up' was

a perfectly appropriate switch-out for Yuck it up!

 

Thank goodness we had "borrowed" those Attends adult diapers from the hospital just as we left! We nearly peed ourselves from laughing!  Love, Annie

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
                                                                                                     Proverbs 17:22