Last Dose - Hooray!

Dad sitting next to me as I finish my last dose of Daunorubicin.

Overall, today's session went better. On the way home, I didn't need the bucket that Dad had stored in the back seat of the car, just in case... Both my arms are really sore from the strong chemical being pushed through them--the left from the IV on Monday and the right from yesterday and today. The chemo didn't leak into my flesh, but it seemed that my veins were too small to flush it throughout my circular system quickly, so they spasmed. When I received the Idarubicin in the hospital in the spring, it was injected through a PICC, so I didn't have this issue. Over the next few days, applying hot compresses to my arms should help.

It was great having my dad here for these nerve-wracking appointments. It did allow me to see first hand why medical expenses have been skyrocketing. Over the course of the three treatment sessions, he managed to pilfer from the "Patients and Staff Only" refrigerator: five ham and Swiss cheese triangle sandwiches, six bags of Famous Amos cookies, four Lorna Dunes, four sugar-free creme sandwiches, seven packages of Saltines, and two cups of Jell-O. He would offer to carry my purse to the car, and each night, I'd find at least half this loot stuffed in my purse.

Anyone who knows my father should not be surprised... In fairness, the staff did say he could help himself, and both my parents were concerned by how much weight I lost last round.

So overall, the appointments were win-win. Now I just have to manage through the three week recovery process.