So I had my first treatment with the new drug today. It went well. My appointment was at 9:00 am. I went in and the nurse spent some time telling me about the drug and things that I might expect. They give the first infusion very slowly, over three hours. The subsequent infusions will each be one hour. There are some potential reactions to the drug during the infusion including sudden onset diarrhea. That thankfully did not happen. Sometimes people react to the anti-nausea drug that is given by IV as a pre-drug to deal with the sside effects. Benadryl is also given by IV. So, talking with the nurse and administering the pre-drugs took about an hour.
Prior to going to the clinic I took three drugs which help with side effects. One is a very powerful anti-nausea drug. It is three capsules for the price of $125. It is worth every penny. I also take dexamethasone, which is a steroid, and another more garden variety anti-nausea med. You may have noticed that anti-nausea meds are popular.

Apparently the drug I'm on makes people nauseated. Thankfully, all these drugs were covered by BC's Fair Pharmacare plan. I didn't pay a cent.
So, after the pre-drugs came the main course. It is Sacituzumab govitecam aka Trodelvy. It was originally used to treat colon cancer and was approved for use with my type of breast cancer in June. That means BC Cancer pays. My oncologist said this is the new wonder drug. Here's hoping. That was administered over three hours. I had to stay for another 30 minutes for observation.
The process was smooth though long. I left the clinic around 2:30. Since then I've felt the Dexamethasone and Benadryl doing their thing. The steroid gave me a bit of energy and some appetite. The Benadryl made me fuzzy around the edges and put me to sleep for a bit this afternoon. When I got chemo 6 years ago, I had these same drugs to deal with side effects. If I gave in and let Benadryl put me to sleep, the steroid would do it's thing and would keep me awake for a bit at night. We'll see what happens.
I may have spent a long time at the clinic today, but it went quickly. I had good chats with two people in the chair beside me. I also had a great book and my knitted hug blanket. The blanket got a lot of complements and people liked the story of how it was created.
I have no plans for tomorrow. Our fifth wheel is getting washed and the roof will be sealed. My book will get read.