Chemo going ok for the first week.... (update through Monday January 11th)

Monday Jan 11th, we arrived in the hospital. We spoke to the Nurse Practitioner, who is great, her name is Erin. We are in room 526, bed A.

I have some video that I need to add to the blog. I will try to add that in the next day or two.

Chemo has been going OK. There is a little bit of nausea, but not too bad. I haven't had to be on anti-nausea drugs constantly, so that is good.

I am retaining fluid again. This is mostly based on my fluid input/output. The doctor had noted that this morning

I have been eating. I'm not quite eating everything on my tray and the amount of food I am eating has been less, but Katie is glad I am still eating. The drinking is a challenge since I am worried about the fluid build up.

I have been doing laps walking around the floor. This is something Katie is encouraging to keep up throughout the stay here and also when I leave the hospital. (The nurses want me moving - it is good for everything, so we are going for it)

We plan to go to Jimmy Fallon Friday - it is exciting because Jack Bauer will be the guest. My family is also coming down from Maine for the weekend so we will have plenty to do! It should be good timing since this is still the low dose chemo. (which sounds so great, but really it is the same strength they gave me last December)


Some more logistics:


Transportation
My brother Tree currently has an "extra" car (one he replaced but had not yet sold) - he has lent us the car for when we visit Long Island and such.


I am able to take the subway as long as I am not neutropenic (which means I have a high fever and a low neutrophil count) this means that my immune system is very susceptible to infection.


If I am neutropenic, we can take a taxi, but we just need to be smart - typical washing your hands and not touching your face stuff.

Schedules for now (this is what we know right now)
Sunday (10th), Monday (11th) and Tuesday (12th) - Low dose chemo
Wednesday (13th) - catheter insertion (this is outpatient surgery)
Thursday (14th) - Tuesday 1/19 - shots/dr appts
Wednesday (20th) - Stem Cell extraction (first of up to 4 days)


The hospital
All of these are double rooms. Right now we are facing a great big window, which I think is nice, but the TV is not seen that easily, so Football may not be as nice/fun to watch. There are visiting hours of 12pm-8pm, they aren't too strict about that, but it is good to know.


Visiting hours at Hope Lodge
are until 10pm, they are STRICT about these.