Today I was a chemo tourist. The infusion center I normally go to was full, so they booked me at the new Stanford infusion center in Redwood City. Boy is it swanky. Everything is so shiny and new. It totally does not feel at all the same as the Stanford Cancer Centre ITA.
I thought I had taken a picture looking out from the chair, but it appears I didn’t. The ITA is setup with two infusion chairs in each “family area”. There is a table with games and magazine. Instead of individual TVs there is one large TV. There were lots of chairs for family members to sit, and each infusion chair had its own table (for laptops or lunch or whatever). You certainly don’t see as many sick people at the Redwood City ITA – in part because the treatment areas are much smaller and more segregated (separated into two people per treatment area). It is a very different feeling. It certainly felt more upscale than the regular ITA.
If I had a bunch more chemo to go, I’d certain try to get more of them scheduled at the Redwood City ITA (they ran on time!). With only one left, I’m doing my last chemo at the regular ITA because it is my time to say thank-you to all the nurses there. Interestedly, the nurse I had today was one I had a couple weeks ago at the other ITA (she was there on loan for the day). So it was nice to see a familiar face in the new surroundings.
To brighten my mood the chemo nurse mentioned that my dosage had been reduced – actually she mentioned it, not knowing how much it would brighten my mood. I’m hoping that the lower dose will mean a reduction in the side effects (crossing fingers). It really does make the whole idea of two more weeks of this (one more chemo, but it takes a week to recover) more bearable. It most definitely cheered me up. Maybe I’ll not feel so bad this coming week 🙂
Leave a Reply