First session of Chemo went like this, my daughter was able to visit for the first session which meant the world to me, she lives the other end of the country, she doesn’t drive and I see little of her unless I go to her. But she made the train journey to be with me which made me so happy and this first session less daunting. We go into the the Chemo unit, which is all shiny and new, unfortunately due to Covid we are told one visitor and only for 1 hour, as I’m having cold cap I’ll be there for 3-4 hours, so Hubby and daughter go off to the canteen. While I am given pre Chemo anti sickness tablet and cold cap if put on, they smother your hair with conditioner to moisten it so the hair cools, I’m given the comfy seat, yay me. So I’m hooked up to the glamour cap and the lovely nurse switches it on, I can feel the whoosh as the ice water flushed through and, my word …..external brain freeze, it’s strange and uncomfortable but bearable and after around 10 mins, you sort of get used to it.
I’m given a cup of tea and a warming pad, now is time for the good stuff, the nurse struggles to find a vein, great, what a time for them to play hidey seek, never ever had an issue,( come on body play the game). She opts for one on my left wrist above my thumb, prods around like she’s spear fishing and finally gets in, in goes the fluids, drip drip drip, then she pops in some steroid that makes you bum prickly, hmmmm….like what you’d imagine sitting on a hedgehog might feel like! It wears off after a few mins thankfully. Now the Drug check,both my nurse and another double check the big bad boy syringes, 2 red and 2 clear, who it’s for, how much is there, expiration dates etc and we’re good to go.
First she drip feeds the red Chemo juice into the catheter, slowly blending with the saline, my vein feels tight and a little painful, which she says if fine and can happen, so I shut up and put up I decide the red stuff is either wine, Ribena or dragon blood, I like my wine in a glass, Ribena is for kids so dragon blood it is, if this shit turns me into mother of dragons, I’m not complaining, the clear juice come next, no adverse reactions thankfully 
Slowly all the good stuff is put in over about 45 mins and then it is chillax time while the cold cap does it’s stuff, the next 90 mins dragggg, I just want this thing off and to feel my scull again.
I’m given a a Chemo record which I need to update with side effects etc, some emergency contact numbers, and a bag of drugs, more than I would take in a year and an injection I need to do myself………wait WHAT? Huh, so the injection if you boost my white blood cells, and is an automatic system. To injection after 24 hours…OK, it is what it is!
I’m home feeling fine, little tired, next day all good, take my steroids like a good girls, generally feeling normal, no nausea thankfully, I manage to do the injection although I panic and call number as I didn’t feel it go in my tummy although I have a red pin dot I also have some liquid leakage on area when I took it off my tummy. The Chemo unit says it should be ok, it prob did go in. 3 days later and OMG, my tummy turned and I’m in the loo in a mess, first day of period and intestinal cramps, not a pretty sight and cold flannel to back of my neck with breathing like I’m giving birth, no more details needed! I manage to sort myself out and crawl into bed, my daughter has gone home already and I’m thankful hubby can work from home and this happened before he left for the day, he keeps an eye on me and the feeling subsides. The next few days come and go with napping, light chores and heathy eating, I had some facial flushing on day 2 , the vein in my arm hurts a lot, so I speak to breast care nurse, this could be cording, speak to Chemo unit next time and they’ll give me some cream, if it get bad see Gp for antibiotics, i buy a microwave heat pad to help soothe the pain and bruising becomes visual under the skin along the vein but not enough to call Dr. Main side effect is generally just fatigue other than the one incident (which I never want to relive) we doing ok, my energy increases in the week before round 2. I do however notice an increase in hair breakage in my brush each morning 
