I would like to introduce you all to my new best friend (for better or worse) for the next few weeks, Adam.

Adam accompanies me everywhere. Everywhere. To the bathroom, to the shower, on walks, while I’m in bed, while I’m listlessly gazing out the window (check out the view below — you can see the Golden Gate!). He’s like a bad habit I can’t shake, mainly because he’s attached to tubes that are planted in my body and sticking out of my chest. He whirs and beeps, and is needy af. He doesn’t follow directions, can’t think for himself, and even gives my nurses a hard time. But either way, I still care about him. You might even say it’s true love. Or an unhealthy (but productive) co-dependent relationship.

Today is day two of chemo. I’m feeling pretty good actually. Before each chemo drug, I get a tasty cocktail of pre-treatment drugs to help alleviate possible side effects. Anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory, steroids, opioids, the works! The fludarabine was well tolerated last night and today I’ve received mesna (a drug that protects the bladder from damage due to some of the chemo), cyclophosphamide, and rabbit ATG. I’ll get another round of fludarabine tonight.

There are so many considerations and self-hygiene things one has to practice when on these drugs. For example, flubarabine is processed and excreted through sweat so I have to shower at least twice a day to clean it off to avoid a chemical skin burn. The mesna is accompanied with a hydration drip so I’m frequently having to urinate, which btw I have to measure the volume of urine each time I go! In a jug! Bizarre.

Anyway, my lunch just got here. Time to eat! 🙂