Hey babes 💕 sorry for the delay — this update has been long overdue! We need to talk about getting my port put in and how my first round of chemo went.
Port Day Panic!!
As you know, I was not excited for this one, but I knew it had to be done. That day ended up feeling totally different from any other hospital experience I’ve ever had. A lot of you know this, but I’ve never really been scared of hospitals, doctors, procedures, etc. I think that goes back to when I was in second grade and had meningitis — I was in the hospital for a while, but all I remember are the fun things I got to do there. Skipping school with my sisters, watching Care Bears, drinking canned lemonade — great memories honestly lol. Ever since then, I’ve felt like hospitals are safe places filled with people who are going to keep me safe.
So it felt so strange that for this small procedure, I was so nervous. I held it together until the nurses started reading through all the post-op instructions and infection risks… and then I completely lost it. I just started SOBBING — like, could not stop crying. Everything suddenly felt so real and overwhelming, and I hated every second of it.
The procedure itself is done under light sedation — you’re awake, just relaxed. Normally that wouldn’t bother me, but this time I wanted to be knocked out!! Ironically, the doctor doing my port was the same one who did my liver biopsy a month earlier. During that one, I was totally calm — yapping away, asking questions about how they even take a liver sample, and they even showed me a little sliver of my liver in the jar afterward! So I can only imagine her surprise seeing me go from calm, cool, and collected to full-on crazy woman!
They brought me into the procedure room, and I was crying the whole way through getting prepped — moving onto the procedure table, sterilizing my neck/chest and placing the sterile drapes, and all the way to the lidocaine shot to numb the area. The team was incredibly kind, though, and I am super thankful for their calming energy. They could tell I was stressed, so they gave me a little something to calm me down, and then after the lidocaine shot … I don’t remember a thing (THANK GOD).
When I woke up, it was over. I felt a huge wave of relief that it was done, and since then it’s healed really well. The scar and implant aren’t as noticeable as I expected, which made me feel so much better. The only downside right now is that I am not 100% back to my full activity level, but I am slowly getting there.
Chemo Kickoff!
Okay, now that the port is in, let’s talk chemo! Overall, my first round went really well — honestly, wayyy better than I expected.
They told me the full treatment would take about 4½ hours (that’s pre-chemo fluids, my two types of chemo, and a drug therapy — all through the port). But because I’m doing scalp cooling, I had to wear the cooling cap 45 minutes before chemo started and keep it on two hours after we finished. So… yeah. I was there all day.
I was a little nervous about being there for so long, but my amazing girlfriend Johnna (also goes by Jo 💖) came to my rescue. She organized a full-day rotation of friends and family to come hang out with me so I never felt alone! When I was checking in at the front desk, I turned to my left and saw two of my besties , Johnathan and Matthew, waiting to start the day with me. Then my sisters, Cassidy and Haley, surprised me — and Cassidy and her partner Sam even drove up from Houston just for the morning to see me on my first day. My best friend Ellen kept me company later (even though by that time I was starting to feel a little sleepy from one of the anti nausea meds lol) , and then later my dad, Aunt Rochelle, and Mama Ruby came by to close out the day!
Now my first treatment was on a Wednesday in Round Rock — not exactly convenient — so the fact that everyone made time to be there for me was everything! I was definitely the hot popular girl in the infusion center that day, and it was the best feeling.
Of course, the biggest shoutout goes to Johnna, because she was there the entire time — helping me set up my scalp cooling treatment and taking care of me through it all. I was so nervous about how the cooling would feel since people say it can be painful, but it was totally manageable! It’s definitely cold, but not unbearable, and the time actually flew by. I’m so relieved knowing I can handle it for future treatments and hopefully get great results to keep as much of my hair as possible. And that’s all thanks to everyone who donated and joined Operation: Save the Curls💋
One of my chemo drugs, Cisplatin, is known to cause pretty bad nausea, and obviously fatigue. The two days after treatment, I definitely felt exhausted — which isn’t like me at all. But I think part of it was the meds. I was taking my nighttime nausea medicine (which makes you drowsy) and half of my dose of trazodone for sleep, and I was just wiped out all day. On night three, I decided to skip the trazodone and just take the nausea med — and the next morning, I felt 1000x better. Like, night and day. So I’m curious to see how I’ll feel next round with that adjustment.
The best part? I haven’t had any nausea at all! In chemo class, they warned us that we might lose our appetite or start disliking certain foods, but I’ve been eating normally and keeping my appetite strong. I know that might not always be the case, but it feels like a really solid start to treatment!
Thank you for taking the time to follow along and read these updates, and as always thank you for all the support (in every capacity). Love you tons!
xoxo,
Kyra💋✨
Hey babe, it's Kyra! 
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