Routine

Today is Day 4 of Cycle 7. It's so strange to have a routine that centers around chemotherapy. It is strange that chemotherapy has become routine. Not easy, not fun, but, to a certain extent, routine. Five days before the cycle starts, Maura gets a shot. Three days out, a different shot. Then it's chemo week: Day 1, another shot. Each day I count off the pre-meds and the chemo that hang on the IV poles. Check. Check. Check. Check. Three days of a pill. Check. Pumps working in the chemo backpack. Check. Check. Two days with the red chemo in the backpack. Check. Four days with the two-liter bag. Check. Another shot on Day 5. Five days of drugs. Checkcheckcheckcheckcheck. CBC on Day 4. Check. Blood work every other day. Check. I chart the results. Check. CT-scans, x-rays, appointments. Check. Check. Check. Heparin nightly in both lines. Check. Check. Dressing change. Check.