Hi. I just finished Chemo. They explain everything they are doing to you. I have a port. I recommend having one. You will get blood tests done before every treatment. You will be in a reclining chair with snacks and drinks. Oh and a warm blanket!! They will hook your meds up to your port or your arm. It doesn’t hurt. And then you relax till they are done. That’s the short of it. Good luck to you. Relax it will be fine.

Lol! My chemo was on Friday, usually 8 am-3pm, I hit the buffet like a bear- then went home to hibernate for the weekend!

You arrive, and check in. A lab tech will bring you back for weight, temp, and bp. Then any labs you might need. Then they turn you over to the RN, who will show you where you can get drinks, snacks, etc. and tell you that you can request a blanket (ours were kept in a warmer- I thought they smelled weird so I brought my own, which was bigger and cozier anyway- a gift from a friend (20+ year bc survivor). They will get you settled in a comfy chair. If you had labs using a port, the nurse will use the same set up- no extra pokes!! Otherwise, she will set up your IV stuff and start a saline drip. They call it a flush, the first one just checks to make sure everything is traveling through the way it should. Then they will start your meds. Between each one, they will switch back to the saline just to flush the previous drug into your system before starting the next one.

Prior to the chemo, they may give you some drugs that are meant to counter side effects, I got Benedryl (which gave me an incredible nap), some steroids, and anti-nausea meds.

The nurse will show you how to set things so you can get up to go to the bathroom, as there is a lot of fluid going through your system- and hopefully, you will be sipping your water as well! The nurses are great at explaining everything as they go! Just try to relax and let them do their thing!

The steroids made me hungry, and since our center did not have meals available, I usually went to Golden Corral Buffet afterwards! Then home to sleep!

I'm looking forward to your post that all went well!!

as do i...thank you

Fatigue, nausea, lack of appetite, fatigue, oh, did I mention fatigue. Those have been my worst symptoms. I just finished round 3 and it seems like my body is adjusting, but my oncologist said the fatigue is cumulative. Hang in there - do what they tell you to do for the symptoms. You will figure out what works best for you - miserable while you do but hopefully it will get better.