Wilson Family Monster Farm: One down, 19 to go!

I completed my very first round of treatment last Saturday. I checked in around 10am and left somewhere around 4:40pm, spending all but about an hour of that time hooked to an IV. Trying to look at the bright side, I'm thinking this doesn't have to be such a bad thing. Really it's forced relaxation time. No cell phone reception, but I do have WIFI, a TV, and a comfy recliner to hang out in all day. They even have coffee and snacks! Of course I say this after one treatment... I'm sure it's going to get old by week 20. This time around my amazing sister in law woke up at the butt crack of dawn and drove four hours with my brother, their two hound dogs, four month old son, and a packed car just so she could sit with me for my first infusion. Just her being there brought my anxiety level down several notches! 7 hours of trashy VH1 shows didn't hurt either 8-)
THANK YOU RHIANNON (and Hulu)!!!

Anyway, everything went really well. I had a small drop in blood pressure somewhere in the middle of increasing the rate of my dosage, but nothing to think twice about. The baby bounced around like he was on crack the whole time! The only real reaction I had was a few hours after I got home. My chest started getting extremely tight and it was hard to catch my breath. I was told if that happened to go straight to the ER, so that's exactly what we did. It was scary in the moment (or rather hours that I was sitting waiting in the ER), but looking back was a whole lot of nothing. They basically ran a million tests, asked me a bunch of times "What is IVIG? Why are you having it?" called it an allergic reaction to the treatment, gave me a benedryl, and sent me on my way. By that time the problem had pretty much resolved itself anyway. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry, especially when dealing with something that has such a broad range of side effects, but it sure felt like a big waste of time to me!! Why don't they tell you to take a benedryl and see if it helps BEFORE going to the ER instead of scaring the crap out of you and then sending you home? Oh well, such is life I guess! I count myself lucky that was the only side effect I had. Many of the women that go through this end up with violent migraines for days after their infusions, or fevers, or worse. With everything I have to do with school, and the apartments, and Jax, I was really worried that I would have to be laid up with a migraine for days. Thankfully that doesn't look like it will be the case! It's all about the small miracles in life, let me tell you!

SO, if any of you are ever in the area on a Saturday, feel free to stop by the Stanford Hospital Infusion Center and visit me! I'll be there every Saturday for the next 19 Saturdays from 10am to 5pm...