They Call it the "Red Devil"

This is a small waterfall made into the carp pond at the garden at the Convent of St. Helena in Augusta, Georgia. Taken last year and just a pretty picture to put on the blog.

Adriomycin is the "A" in TAC. It's also the nasty stuff that is so good at killing my kind of cancer. It's also the nasty stuff that often is so toxic that it does nasty things to one's heart. The oncologist, therefore, is going back to the original studies done at MD Anderson on TAC to see if additional testing of the heart was done before completion of the six treatments. Seems logical. I don't mind going for additional MUGA testing. I had a good ejection fraction of 66% to begin with. The only hassle with the MUGA was the doofus radiation dosing guy who can't hit a vein with a shotgun. Otherwise I don't mind doing that one again.

They used the BIG syringe today putting the red devil into me. In that HUGE syringe it definitely looks menicing. I have to push liquids starting yesterday, today, and tomorrow to flush it as quickly as possible out of my kidneys and bladder. It's toxic enough that it can't be allowed to pool long in the bladder. I don't know what would happen if it did, but I'm not willing to find out. I'm not sure why it's not as scary to get the 57.5 ml of adriamycin in three smaller syringes but it is. That big, honking syringe that's about the size of Liam's forearm just gives me the total willies!

I got to overhear a conversation today when someone finished their last chemotherapy. The were asking how long to keep their port? The recommendation was to keep it for a year post treatment. You have to go once every four weeks through that year and get the "heperine lock" redone. That's so I don't get blood clots in my port. They aren't good, especially in the vein that is going straight into your heart!

I was lucky enough to be there today when a chemo friend was there getting one of her treatments. Next Tuesday is the breast cancer support group so we're going to see if we can get enough umph together to go out to eat beforehand. You know....do something social! Who knows if three chemo gals (she's bringing another chemo friend) can get that much energy together for that length of time!

Betty has an appointment with a dermatologist next week to take care of some lumps on the side of her face. I'm hoping I have the umph to take her! It could definitely be interesting.