First day of chemo went fine, we arrived at 7:00am and finally left at 7:00! We are both exhausted. The biopsy of my "distant" lymph node tested negative, which is good news but not a definite outcome. The biopsy is very hit or miss, they only use results that test positive for cancer b/c it could be that the cells removed happened to be benign, but there could be cancer cells in the node that did not happen to be extracted at that particular time.

The chemo was to have started at 1:00, but the doctor had not sent the consent form to the clinic so we had to wait an hour to begin. I was quoted 2 hours for the procedure. Turns out the whole thing takes around 4 hours, 1 hour for the flush, the anti-naseau, saline and some other drug I can't pronounce, then 2 hours for the chemo (Oxaliplatin) and then 1 hour for the flush and other stuff again.

About 30 minutes into the pre-chemo stuff, I started coughing, wheezing and feeling strangely congested. The nurse came in and said I was having an allergic reaction, most likely to the anti-nausea drug (Zofran), well, isn't that my luck? I started itching and breaking out into little hive spots on my face and chest. I hadn't even started on the stupid chemo yet and I was having problems, as if my anxiety wasn't already about to send me over the edge! She immediately hooked up a bag of Benadryl into the I.V. and I felt back to normal within 5 minutes and that knocked me out cold! She said Benadryl administered via I.V. really knocks you out good. I slept solid and pretty much sleep-walked to the bathroom every 30 minutes on the dot, they pump so much fluid into you. And anyone who knows me, knows I pee every 5 minutes as it is. Other than the allergy drama I feel okay, just really tired and I look kind of green, all the color is gone from my face. I started taking my oral 14 day course of chemo this evening (Capecitabine, commonly known as Xeloda), 3 pills, 2xday for 14 days.

I hope to return to the island before my 3 week due date to have my PICC line removed and have a port-a-cath inserted. My new good doctor friend Axel Grothey (Sara Mooney Hinkley's brother in law, who happens to be a kick-butt colon cancer oncologist at The Mayo Clinic) counseled me a little last night and re-assured me that a port-a-cath would make me happier. I had requested a port-a-cath over the PICC line in the first place, but my doctor told me to try the PICC first. I hate the PICC, not to mention the stress I went through to have it placed. Basically, the PICC is a 5 inch catheter that hangs outside your body where you can have blood drawn and drugs administered very conveniently for the nurses and docs. But, you have to flush it daily and it is an medical miracle to actually waterproof it for a simple shower, and you have to change the dressing once a week with a long crazy sterile procedure. The port-a-cath is much more user-friendly, it is subdermal and there is no constant care involved, you can swim, shower and even sweat if you care too! The only drawback is that it has to be surgically implanted and if there is a problem with the line, you have to book a surgery to fix it as opposed to a PICC, where you can just pull it right out if there is a problem. The PICC makes you completely dependant upon a care-giver, which is not my cup of tea. The last thing I want during all of this is to be robbed of my independance and feel like I am a burden to my husband. Not to mention, I hate showering at night and my hair looks terrible in the morning!

Lots of info. today, I am about to fall asleep writing this, I hope to have a nice night with no side effects. Thanks for all the kind words and constant support from all our friends and family. I wish I had time to talk to each of you personally, I will try and catch up on phone calls next week.

Love,
Kelly & Joel