Hanging in the chemo lounge

For those who haven’t been in a chemo lounge, you have missed something!  I understand that some chemo places give you a private room.  But, I think this collective experience is probably the norm.  Basically, the room is filled with a number of Laz-y-boy-type chairs (think Friends—I can just imagine Joey and Chandler with their IV drips now…) Very comfy.  There are several other people there getting chemo at the same time.  Some people chat a lot (I was chatty), some people sleep, some people read, some people write a blog (that was me when I wasn’t chatting).  It’s fairly mellow, but with a sad undercurrent.  How could it not?

I love lounge chairs.  In fact, in my French 1 class I wrote these lines when describing my living room: Ma chose favorite dans la salle est mon grand fauteuil noir.  Leslie n’aime pas la chaise.  Mais, je vais mourir dans le fauteuil ! (translation :  My favorite thing in the living-room is by big black lounge chair.  Leslie doesn’t like the chair.  But, I am going to die in the lounge chair.)  Anyway, I was comfy.

Kendra was the nurse who tended us, filling up our IV with various things.  First, a lot of hydration, then two anti-nauseous drugs, then steroids that maximize the effects of the aniti-nauseaus drugs, then the cisplatin—the chemo drug—followed by one more bag of hydration.  The day took about 6 hours.  The anti-nauseous drugs are supposed to last 2-4 days.  They fool the censors in the brain into thinking you have not just ingested a bunch of poison.  I like Kendra.

I was in a room with four women.  I went to the restroom about 15 times, carting my little IV with me…  The three other women went, collectively, 4 times.  I felt like a bit of a freak.

The place has a refrigerator with juices and sodas and water and lots of treats and chips and cookies.  Help yourself. I took a bag of sun chips—the French onion kind. They also have a lending library if you forgot to bring a book or something to keep you occupied.

My friend, Lynn, dropped by to say hi.  She’s has been going through the same experience for months, so wanted to lend her support.  She found our lounge wanting.  At her joint, they have a massage room and a roving foot masseuse.  According to her, it is a much prettier room.  I am going to go on Thursday and see how the other half live.  But, I was fully happy with the accommodations.  Also, I got a brief visit from my friend, Angela, and her young son.  Kids aren't welcome because they are germ carriers, so that was a quick visit. I appreciate the effort from both of you.

It really didn’t feel like anything during the process.  And, I kept my date with a friend after to have a cocktail. (I didn’t drive.)  I felt just fine.  We took Zig to the beach and all was well with the world yesterday.  Those drugs to control the poison must work.  Ok, I was a little loopy, it is true.

I sat by a lovely woman who broke my heart.  I didn’t ask her if I could blog about her so I am reluctant to reveal any telling details, but she has been battling cancer for several years. Originally, it was a cervical cancer diagnosis, but she is now dealing with lymph involvement.  She is 42 with two pre-teens and a husband. You can just see in her eyes how desperately she wants her life back, and the fear that she may never get it. We talked a lot about everything – her life and passions, what she misses the most, and the strain on her family, her employment situation and fears. I left there not worried about me, but truly worried about her.  Her course of treatment will be soon done. I am very happy for her that is true. If you read this, I am rooting for you!  (ed note Jan/2015:  We became friends.  I would occasionally drive her to an appointment or pick up her kids from school when she or her husband could not.  She died.  She made a lovely video to all her friends for her memorial service.  She had a lovely bit about me, "the last friend that I made."  She was just one of several of my friends who died from cancer that year.)