ABVD Cycle 1, Day 15

Rang the benefits line before we left for chemotherapy, they don't make it easy, was on the phone for 45 minutes!!! Stopped me thinking about going to get pumped with more drugs that would probably take me off my high though! My consultant was pleased to see that the tumour on my thigh had further reduced from last time and the tenderness had gone. I also said I thought my abdomen was less distended and he agreed. It was a good consultation, at the end he said I looked more well in myself, I tended to agree with him and he said it’s often the case when people with Lymphoma undergo chemo they feel better, as it subsides the symptoms of the disease. He said I was being very brave about it as he said there is no hiding around the bush I have advanced Hodgkin’s.

After the consultation chemo started. When the cannula went it it was a little tender but once dressed it was fine. Lunch came as I was having chemo, ham and mustard sandwich with jelly and I had mum’s bread roll too, the steroids had made me hungry again. Note next time bring snacks! Read Ok which featured Jade's wedding, very moving but some gorgeous photos. Read a lot of my Lance Armstrong book too although it was a little difficult just using my left hand! Also went through and deleted some of the hundreds of messages on my phone, re reading some of the ones people had sent and they somehow meant more to me now, reading them for the second time. People can say some really nice things. Deleted some but also kept the ones I might just need to look at again on a bad day. Before we left we made sure we had all our drugs and booked a chest x-ray for next time, with Bleomycin, they check your chest every cycle. Didn’t feel too tired or sick or anything, in a funny way chemo had just seemed routine today. For dinner we had pasta, Mum gave me loads, but I ate it all! Afterwards we had pancakes (being Pancake Day), on top of all the pasta I managed to eat 3 pancakes. It’s funny the steroids don’t make you feel full, although after all that lot I did feel bloated!

ABVD Cycle 1 - DONE!