Treatment #2, Characters, and What Not

Treatment #2 went a lot like treatment #1, except I didn't really have the nerves to go along with it.  I knew what to expect, knew somewhat of how I would feel afterward, and knew that eventually I would feel back to "normal".  It's a whole new normal, let me tell you...

On the way into the Cancer Center, it's surprising to me how many people (patients and visitors) who I see smoking.  In the parking garage, which is literally 50 feet away from the entrance, people exit their cars and immediately light up.  It's like a person starting a diet on Monday, I guess.  Eat all the junk food you can on Sunday before the diet starts! 

This time, as I got out of our car in the garage, I looked down and saw that someone who had been there before us thought it was a good idea to empty their ash tray onto the ground of the garage.  Lovely.  Then, as Stein and I were walking into the Cancer Center, there was an older man leaning against a pillar outside, puffing on a cigarette like it was his last before his execution. 

Speaking of characters, there are always quite a few when going for treatments or other appointments.  Stein and I are very entertained by other people and their quirks.  (We're laughing with them, not at them, of course.)  It definitely makes the time go by and sometimes it just lightens the mood.  Other times it makes me thankful that my neuroses are somewhat normal.

We were waiting at the lab for my turn to go in for blood work, and another woman went in before me.  I could hear some of the things going on in the lab, and at one point a tech said to another one, "We need some help down here."  I knew from experience that the help needed was probably for a person who didn't have a good vein, or they tried several times with no success.  (Oh, I remember those days vividly).

I didn't pay much attention to it, because it was my turn next, and I had other things on my mind.  Later, Stein said that a woman came out yelling to her friend that she will never go to the male tech in the lab because he was awful.  From the way Stein described where she was sitting, I remembered the woman who had been sitting there.

Fast forward to my "spa hours" of treatment.  About half-way through, another patient was seated in the chair next to mine.  Stein motioned to me like he had a story about her.  I recognized her from the waiting room at the lab.  She was the yeller!  I gave Stein the "I know exactly what you're talking about" look.

We came to find out that this woman doesn't have a port, so each time she goes in for blood work and chemo she has to get an IV started.  The only problem?  She's deathly afraid of needles.  I guess they have tried sedatives and other ways to get her to relax, but it was obvious that this was a big problem.  I looked at my port and said a silent thank you to my doctor.  We learned that everyone doesn't get a port from the get-go.  It's up to the doctor whether he/she will send you to get one before starting treatment.  Sometimes it takes the nurses in the treatment rooms to recommend a port be put in because of issues that may come up.

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In other news, I got my haircut on Saturday.  I wanted to be a bit ahead of the losing game, and not have long clumps of hair come out.  I got it cut up to my chin in a bob.  It looks cute, it's easy to style, and it takes a lot less shampoo to wash it.  I don't know how long it will last, because today when I washed it in the shower, a lot of hair came off.  It's not like I have bald spots or anything, but the drain in the bathtub was certainly more stuffed than usual. 

I have a line-up of wigs waiting to be worn, and some hats too.  I'm thinking about getting some scarves, and my friend Johnny recommends that I bring back the turban.  We'll see.  I don't know exactly what I'll end up doing on a regular basis, but I like to have options available.

Lastly, thank you.  Thank you for your continued check-ins to see how we're doing.  Thanks for the laughs, the funny texts, the cards that crowd our mantle, and the thoughtful gifts and packages you send our way.  Thanks for the food, the prayers, and recommendations of things to try for various ailments.

We're lucky to be surrounded by such great people.  Physically, emotionally, and spiritually.