So Far So Good

I had my first dose of Herceptin today. So far, I'm not experiencing any side effects except that I'm more tired than usual.

It was a long afternoon, though. I got to Ambulatory Infusion about 1pm, then there was some paperwork to fill out because it was a new medicine; then they had to make sure that they had the correct orders because pharmacy mixed the drug together. The Herceptin dose is administered over 90 minutes. By the time it was finished, I'd been there about 2 1/2 hours.

Then, they realized that my dose of zometa was calculated to be given every four weeks, but I'm now getting it every three weeks, so they had to decrease the dose. But it turns out Dr. K hadn't given them the orders so we had to wait for them. Dr. K's office thought they had faxed them. So, that was about a 45 minute wait.

Then, 30 minutes for the zometa. Finally, we did a blood draw, in order to have baseline data (before and after Herceptin). But they had to stick me three more times before they found a vein that would give up enough blood.

All told, the visit was 4 1/2 hours. I didn't get to see Eddie after school. I'll see him in the morning, though.

Patience is key in the cancer world.

I'm just glad I'm not experiencing any side effects worse than fatigue. : )