One down, seven to go

Well, I survived the first one. It was a long-ish day, because of all of the other garb. First, a blood draw, then wait a hour for the results. Then, an appointment with the doc so they can read the results. The dose I get is dependent upon my overall body area (height and weight), and all of my "counts" (white blood cells, red, platelets, kidney/liver functions). Hence, the blood work every time. So they read all of this, as do seventeen other people, order it, and start me up. This time around, I had time for a quick walk between appointments. So, I finally got in there around 11:30am, and all was said and done around 2pm. I think the hardest part was the IV part, because as the nurse explained, she wanted the biggest, best she could find. Why, you ask? Well, because if this stuff leaks out of the vein and gets under my skin, it'll eat my skin. Nice. It was at this point that I decided to schedule getting a "medi-port". This is something they insert into my chest that the docs/nurses can access at all times. This way, I wont have an IV each and every time. Initially, I didn't want one, probably because it felt like one more thing to remind me, even when I wasn't in the hospital. But I think it's the smarter choice. I felt fine right after and around 5:30-6pm, I was ready for a nap. I felt a little sick, but I think it was something I ate, in actuality. I slept pretty well, and this morning, took Sadie to school. Overall, for the better part of the day I felt like I went out drinking last night, without the stories to tell. My friend Dianne drove me up to my appointment this afternoon, which was for a shot I get the day after to help the bone marrow produce more white blood cells. That was easy. All in all, I am doing pretty well. I'll keep you posted, and until then, thanks you all for your help and well wishes.

Ash