As I mentioned in my previous post, I started my first cycle of chemo this past Mon. As I write this, I’m a little more than halfway done for the week. So far, everything has been ok.

The treatments now are down to a little over four hours start to finish. I take 3 medicines – a steroid and two pills for nausea - before a sodium drip for 45 minutes for hydration and electrolytes. Then, the chemo drugs – cisplatinum for 60 minutes and etoposide for 90 minutes, in either order, with a slight break in between. Usually they do another hydration drip at the end, but because my vitals and blood pressure have been steady they have been combining that with the second drug which shortens the treatment cycle a little.

So far, there haven’t been too many side effects, but I’m told that it’s a cumulative effect and the treatment won’t really start affecting me until after the 3rd or 4th day of the cycle, building up to the 10th. The biggest thing I’ve noticed so far is that I’m just tired and a bit achy. I haven’t really felt nauseas yet, but my appetite has definitely waned over the first two days. Then again, it probably doesn’t help that I’m drinking about 8 liters of water a day to flush my system. Tara says I have a certain “glow” – I don’t have a fever, but my skin is flushed and feels warm to the touch like I spent some time in the sun.

I mentioned earlier that the Weill-Cornell Hematology and Oncology waiting room is a disaster, but it turns out you only have to wait there if you’re seeing a doctor. There are about 30 doctors in the department and every one of their patients waits in a room that is way too small and way too crowded. Thankfully, I can avoid this most days, as I only see my doctor once during the treatment week and once during an off week.