I’m still alive! I had no reaction to the Rituxin last night and now I guess we’re waiting until the ph in my blood reaches a certain level before we begin the first of the Big Boys, a drug called Methotrexate. After looking through some of my earlier posts I gather that this first infusion will last something like 22 hours, so I hope I can squeeze in a shower before I’m hooked up again.

Well, that whole idea of a shower was nice while it lasted. Apparently the hot water supply for the entire hospital is down because of a faulty pump. Maintenance crews are on it now and should have hot water restored by the end of the day but it still made for a VERY uncomfortable experience this morning!😱

It’s sort of a slow, sleepy day. Not much is happening and after the flurry of activity yesterday, things have slowed to a crawl. I’m still waiting to start the first chemo round even though my ph levels came back as normal. I’m making myself some tea and may start up a movie or maybe another episode of Picard. (Good show, that.) It’s once again grey and dreary outside and that just makes me want to curl into a ball and sleep. It’s warm though, in the low 80s, and very muggy. Typical Texas spring weather. I actually like the weird tropical feel of it, probably because it’s so alien to the climate in which I spent most of my life.

I just watched a really, really good film called “20th Century Women”, starring Annette Bening as an older single mom raising her son in 1979. Really good! It’s slower paced and quite lyrical, with some adult situations, a bit of frontal nudity, and a WHOLE LOT of smoking. Jeepers, Bening’s character chain-smokes Salem menthols but that feels right for the period. I was in my late teens in 1979 and almost all my family smoked – I’m amazed that I was able to dodge this particular bullet. Anyway, the film is well worth checking out.

Welp, the main event has started. My nurse began the initial infusion of Methatrexate, which will go at a higher dosage for two hours, followed by a slower infusion of the same drug for another 22 hours. So far, so good. I’ve been loaded to the gills with anti-nausea meds so I shouldn’t feel at all queasy and will hopefully be able to hang onto my appetite. I’m still feeling hungry and shouldn’t have any problem eating dinner but that may change by tomorrow, although I had little reduction of appetite during my first B cycle. It’s really helpful to know more or less what to expect but my body could always surprise me and do something entirely unexpected. Oh look, dinner’s here! SQUIRREL!!!

The clouds are finally breaking up and allowing in a bit of late afternoon sun. The sky is taking on a very Maxfield Parrish-y look. It’s still quite hazy but very pretty. I wish I could open my teeny little window for just a sip of fresh air but I just discovered that it’s been screwed shut. I could make quick work of this if I had a Philips screwdriver but dang it, I didn’t bring my tool kit. 🙄 Maybe I’ll give it a go with one of the knives I’m given at mealtime. I’ll probably bend the crap out of the blade tip but it’s worth a try!