Chemo School.101

Yup you heard it hear first. You need to go to chemo training before getting chemotherapy. You are probably wondering why would you need to do this? Trust me, no one fails. They are not going to say "oh no you didn't pay enough attention to the slide show so we cant inject you with several doses of poison". Can you imagine the drop out rate.

We had heard about the "chemo suite" before<sick sense of humor alert: or as B like to term it "sweet, chemo..".> on the top floor but could not imagine what it looked like. I pictured marble bathrooms, leather seating that reclined with massage functions built in. Flowers every where and freshly pressed linens...well not so much.

It was like any other floor, only it was dedicated to cancer patients. The waiting room is like all the others, no fancy chairs but at least on this floor you do not have to take a number. And the bathrooms...well they do not have marble ...B confirmed this..and I have yet to venture there as I already have a public washroom phobia.

They do have a lounge area on this floor called the "Sunshine Room". It is a bright yellow colour <go figure> where they have it decorated like grandma's your  living room. It also has wigs and scarves available for you and a couple times a week students come in to do massage, reiki, etc free of charge...so it kind of is the "sweet, chemo" room.

As we waited in our common chairs to be called to class I noticed several bald women in the waiting room and thought...where are the bald men. Plus I was surprised to see so many with their heads bare as opposed to covered in a hat, scarf or wig. This was a good sign of this being a comfortable environment.

My name was called and off we went down the hall passed all of the people getting chemo in what they term "short term rooms" . ie 3 hrs and under. Else you are in a big room behind the reception desk for longer periods. I am glad that it is the short term rooms for me. BTW that is where the bald men were:)

Chemo school lasted just under two hours and talked about precautions should you throw up...basically B is going to need a hazmat suit for the first 48hours. They talked about what to expect, myths ...and the nurse knew our individual situations so she was able to comment on whether or not we could anticipate different things. I was told I could get mouth sores, aching joints and when I lose my hair it will start feeling like a too tight ponytail...great something to look forward to.

Overall it was informative. It was a small group <three of us and our partners> so asking questions was easy and it was kept fairly light giving the topic at hand. I did not receive a certificate of graduation but instead given a date for my next two rounds of chemo and given the low down. Blood work followed by a doctor's appt the day before to ensure your blood levels are good. Then the next day will be chemo.

Ok chemo training done...next up poison injections...I know the fun never stops!