The First Treatment

My daughter, Crystal, is a TV meteorologist and when she left her job to come home and get care, she publicly informed her viewers about her condition. She decided to keep everyone updated as she went through chemotherapy and got better. This started day 1 of her treatment. We were both happy because her doctor said her cancer would likely be cured. We decided to enjoy the day in the city and we did a video to share with her viewers. We were being silly and having fun. I got to stop at my favorite juice place and we had plans to go out to dinner after she was done. But, unfortunately, it didn’t happen like that.

During treatment

Neither of us knew what to expect during treatment. We were anxious and curious as to what would happen. Our nurse was wonderful and very thorough. This helped to put us a bit at ease. Then the IV treatment bags came out. There were 4 of them and one syringe that went directly into her arm. This is when it all became real and very scary for me. As a nurse and researcher, I knew chemo can be very dangerous. I hated that she had to go through this and I was scared about what would happen to her as a result. She did great, though, and we took pictures and just observed what was going on around us. Then it happened.

After treatment

We left the hospital and were able to go out and eat. At the end of the meal, Crystal started to feel ill. We left and started to walk back to the bus and she got worse and worse. We were going to hail a cab, but we were walking the wrong way on a one-way street. I wasn’t sure what to do and we still had a long bus ride home. Finally, we made it to the bus and on the ride home, she was pretty much out of it. When we got home, she went right to bed and stayed in bed for the whole week. It was scary and I called the doctor. He said this wasn’t quite normal, but does happen. I was scared to death that she was dying. Luckily, as the week progressed, she started to feel a little better each day. I hoped the next treatment would be better, but each treatment had a similar reaction.

Not everyone is the same

I just want to say that while Crystal had a difficult time with her treatments, some people do not. She would not have been able to work, but many people are able to stay at their job. My post is not intended to scare anyone, it’s just what my daughter and I experienced.