Are you Triple positive?

Yesterday was my first treatment and I was fairly nervous. I realized as i completed each step that my stress was dropping. The unknowns are the worst. In the end, there was relief that the wait was over and we were attacking this.

You've gotten great info from others so I'll just briefly outline my day.

Labs (Lidocaine for port was fantastic)
Met with oncologist
Pre-meds. Benadryl made me drowsy immediately
30 min wait
1st med (herceptin)
2nd med (taxol)
While meds being delivered I drank water/gatorade, ate lunch, met with nutritionist, and several bathroom breaks. Also had the surprise of the therapy dog and music therapist.

Good luck on your journey! You've got this!

Chemo isn’t fun, but I made it out worse in my head than it was. They give you great meds to counteract the chemo side effects. I felt better after getting the first one under my belt.
Drink as much water as you can, eat when you can, sleep when you need it, be as active you can and let your doctor know if you are struggling.
You can do this!

If the center gave you any Rx's for possible nausea, get those filled ahead of time, you don't want to be sitting around feeling queasy while you wait for the prescription to get filled. I was advised to take one at the first sign of tummy flutters.

I also had an Rx for a lidocaine cream for the port- if you got that, remember, you DO NOT rub it in. You just put a blob at the target (the center of the three bumps that make a triangle), then cover the blob with plastic wrap. The wrap will hold the blob in place and protect your clothes. The nurses will wipe it clear when prepping for using the port. If they did not give you Rx for cream, some centers use it when you first check in, others use a spray, others do nothing. I had "surprise labs" once, so no time for the cream- but it was ok, no worse than a regular shot, just more pressure as they pushed down to access- no don't worry.

If I forgot anything- lol! Reach out- I will tell you that between the sleepless nights leading up to the first chemo and the Benedryl, I was asleep pretty fast- but woke up to use the bathroom!!

I'm looking forward to your post that everything went well on Friday, and that you are home resting comfortably!! PS the next one will be easier! Hugs!

The room is usually chilly, but most places have blankets, snacks, some drinks.
If you DO NOT have a port, wear comfy pants you can manage with one hand- that way there is less stress on the IV site when you are trying to get pants up/down. etc.

If you DO have the port, you might want a comfy shirt you can button around or a V neck t-short, just so the tubing, etc. doesn't stretch out your favorite t-shirts. It's a long day- so dress comfy!! I usually showed up in lounge pants and packed my jeans in my chemo bag to change into later.

In my chemo bag, I had my jeans- lol!, phone and charger, something to keep me busy (books, music, whatever), some snacks, my water bottle- hydrating is super important, you want to swish those drugs around and out! Gin-Gin candies, because real ginger is a natural tummy soother.

And I brought my own blanket, it was a gift from a bc survivor friend, so it always felt like I was wrapped in a hopeful hug! My calendar, so I could write in follow-up dates and I could write in the day's bp, temp, weight to keep track of easily for my PCP.