Well, it wasn't too bad. We were given about an hour of orientation to chemo
and the side effects, etc., and then I was given a whole bunch of pre-chemo
drugs through the IV. Then the Taxol for 3 hours and the Carboplatin for
about ½ hour. The biggest problem was the boredom of sitting in the chair. I
watched TV for a while, but when the soaps came on I turned it off and read
a book. Unfortunately, because of the room configuration and the privacy
acts, no one is allowed to come back with me. Fortunately, I was finished
early enough that my sweetie was able to bring me home so we didn't have to
call on any of our resources for transportation.

I will probably be getting a port installed in my chest. This is done on an
outpatient surgery basis. I would go in early in the morning, they would
knock me out, make a small incision and insert the port into a vein and
stitch me up. Then, whenever I need blood drawn or my chemo sessions, they
have a guaranteed vein to use without having to dig. They'll just insert the
needle directly into the port. Nothing shows above the skin. It's shows up
as a small oval bump on the skin. I spoke to one of the other women who had
one and she said it doesn't hurt once the cut is healed and is so easy to
use. When we're all done, they will reverse the process and the port will be
removed.

Thank you ALL for your prayers and well-wishes. I felt them as I sat there
and knew that all would be okay. It'll be a day or two or three before I
feel the effects, but I have anti-nausea medicine to take to keep food down.
We'll see.

DeeTee