Yesterday was my first chemotherapy session.. It wasnt that bad!! I’m still alive and i am so happy.. I am finally receiving  treatment.. I am on the road to getting better.. I will beat cancer!!!

In total it lasted just over four hours.. before starting the chemotherapy i had a drip which had steroids and anti-sickness medication to help me tolerate the treatment better..

I had four chemotherapy drugs each one was run separetly and i was closely monitored for any serious reactions (as it was my first time being intoxicated with these drugs!).

The chemotherapy drips were always covered by a black bag.. I forgot to ask why.. But will ask next time.. It could be that the medication reacts with light?

The first three were okay.. I actually didn’t feel much.. However the fourth drug (Vinblastine) stung.. It felt like acid was running in my veins but i had a lot of distraction from my family which helped me get through it! One of the drugs is orange in colour.. Looking at it go through my vein made me think “seriously woman what are you letting into your body”.. It just looks toxic! I think i preferred the chemo drug which stung over the orange one..

Four hours was a long time to kill.. Other than innocently spying/eavesdropping (which ever sounds better!)  on other patients around me, i found it hard to focus on anything.. I’m quite a fidgety person.. As a doctor i just can’t help speculating what cancers the patients around me have.. You can tell everyone is at a different stage in their treatment.. I was the “newbie” who had broken the rule of ‘one visitor per patient’ and got three much to everyones horror (mum, fiance and younger sister).. I guess its a arab thing.. We are definitely that annoying family who just cant follow simple rules! It takes me back to when my dad was hospitalised after his road traffic accident in 2013.. He was in there for months.. and our family and friends took over the ward.. it was so embarassing.. The visitors room became our family living room.. I can swear the team looking after him were so glad when he was discharged.. As a doctor i have met such families and friends.. lets be honest they are never anyones favourite! But it’s hard as a healthcare proffessional, patient and a relative.. Healthcare proffessionals just want to get on with their job and they have to apply the same rules to everyone, relatives are super anxious and feel obliged to be by their loved ones bedside, and patients feel guilty because they are the cause of all this!

Anyway.. Back to the patients around me.. You can tell the experts who know where everything is and have come fully prepared with ipads/laptops and headphones, cleverly passing time by watching a movie.. Then you have the ones who are super anxious, holding the hands of their loved ones with their eyes closed.. it makes you wander if they have had a bad experience with chemo.. we are all different individuals, we all share one thing.. We have cancer and are in need of toxic chemotherapy!

Enough waffling.. Me and my sister decided to try and be artistic so we started colouring in this book.. Didn’t last long.. But somehow time passed! 

After my chemotherapy finished i got to go home! I was sent home with a goody bag.. Lots more medication.. My respect for patients just grows every day.. How do they manage so many tablets!! I can barely remember to do simple things! Some of these tablets i take more than once a day.. 

And.. I was given a chemotherapy book.. I am a proper patient check me out! I have to carry this with me to appointments..

When i got home i felt absolutely fine.. To begin with.. about an hour or so later i had some slight nausea and felt drained like someone had sucked the life out of me.. So i slept and slept and slept..

Today i have been fine.. I even went out for a bit! 

However i have been warned that the effects of chemotherpay kick in day 7-10.. So thats in five days time.. I am staying positive.. Okay enough chemo talk.. Time for some much needed rest..

But first:

I can not thank everyone for all the support i have received.. I am so touched..

Here are some of the flowers i received: