Adventures in Chemo: Part II

almost forgot to add this pic

Warning: this post was written throughout the day today, so it won’t read as if I wrote it all at the end of the day. I decided I would be too tired at the end of the day so thought this system would work better. Also, sorry it’s so long!

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9:00 AM (ish):

Right now I am settled into what I will call the “chemo room” at the Bruno Cancer Center. It’s the room where everyone gets their chemotherapy. Each person is divided up into little cubicles in somewhat comfy reclining chairs. I’ll just work on this blog post on and off while I’m here so I won’t have to try to remember everything that happened later.

We woke up in plenty of time to get to chemo on time this morning! I chugged two big cups of coffee right before we left so I might be feeling a bit hyper until they give me benadryl through my IV and knock me out. When I got here they had to do the usual blood work that they do for every chemo patient to make sure that I’m healthy enough for the chemotherapy. The nurse also asked me a lot of questions about any problems or side effects I’ve had that the doctor would need to know about. Everything looked good with my blood work and I got the go ahead for chemo. A nurse (I really want to remember their names but I feel embarrassed asking again and they don’t have name tags) gave me an antacid pill and a ton of anti-nausea meds through my IV. Luckily the nicest nurse is the one that usually comes over to check on me. Right now I’m getting a steroid drip before the chemo. The steroids are given for multiple reasons, including just making me feel better overall. They also will keep me hooked up to a saline drip to flush out my IV between all the different medicines.

Dr. Gore just stopped by and is concerned that my ascites (abdominal fluid buildup) has not dispersed and is considering getting it drained in the next couple of days. He needs to get in touch with my surgeon Dr. Barnes about it and then get back to me. If he decides to do it, he wants to get it done before my immune system crashes.

After all the anti-nausea meds finishing dripping in, it will be time for the benadryl (because the first chemo drug they give me can cause allergic reaction). Then it will be nap time!

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11:22 AM:

I half fell asleep because of the benadryl for a while. It’s too busy here to really sleep when I’m not totally exhausted, especially since I had so much coffee. Now I feel half awake. Awake enough to type sloppily and to notice that my first chemo drug, taxol, is getting close to being done. Dr. Gore swung by again to say that because the steroids make my blood sugar so high, he is going to get a nurse to start me on regular fluids as well, just like last time. This time though they are giving me the fluids at the same time as the chemo drugs, so the whole process won’t take as long! YAY!

I have to say that even though it’s still technically morning time, I have already walked on two ladies on the toilet! Jeez, use the damn lock! I don’t know if it’s chemo brain or what, but so far I have had no trouble whatsoever remembering to lock the bathroom door! Definitely more than I care to see!  :-/

I have to add really quickly that I signed up for pinterest yesterday since I see so many people posting about it and I have so much free time so it’s not that big of an issue if I get addicted, lol. I’m still not really sure that I understand the point of it but I’ve been messing around with it a little. I know some people will think I am lame for even signing up for it and some people will think I'm lame for being so far behind in signing up :-P

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Its 11:48 now and they just started the second chemo drug: carboplatin. It looks like I really will get out of here a lot faster this time! I think all that is left is getting the rest of the carboplatin and the regular fluids.  Dr. Gore came by just now to say he, along with Dr. Barnes, decided to try to have my fluids drained today or tomorrow. He wants to have the fluid sent off so they can find out more about it. He explained that first they will do an ultrasound to find the right spot to inject to drain the fluids because they don’t want to stab me in a major organ! I’m not sure what it will be like to get drained but I really hope it doesn’t hurt too much. 

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1:00 PM:

The carboplatin looks like it is minutes from being done but I still have a little ways to go on the regular fluids. My mom brought me some food from McDonald’s (no worries about it making me sick since I’m so pumped full of anti-nausea meds) and I’ve been listening to the nurses gossip about the patients, lol. They are whispering but because I’m literally stationed right in front of the nurses’ desk, I can still hear. Hopefully I will find out soon when I can get these abdominal fluids drained. I’m so tired of looking like I have a little beer belly!

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1:30 PM: 

Finished with carboplatin and fluids! I went straight to radiology when I was done (mom and my grandmother in tow) to have the abdominal fluid buildup (ascites) drained (a procedure called paracentesis). I was really nervous about it being painful but the super sweet nurse and very cool doctor explained everything well before they did every little thing they had to do. First I had to have an ultrasound so they could find the best place on my stomach to drain the fluids. The nurse was really nice and understanding about my nervousness and said she could step in as my hand holder since my mom couldn’t be in the room until they got to the point where the fluids were draining. I kind of feel like a child needing someone to hold my hand but it really does seem to help a lot. I was also pinching myself really hard at the same time when the doctor was doing his thing because I read that it helps take the focus away from the other pain. The doctor (radiologist) came in after the ultrasound and of course, me being the way I am, after he introduced himself, I said, “Can I ask you an embarrassing question?” He gave me the go ahead and I asked him how long I would have to wait to have sex after the procedure. He didn’t skip a beat. “You can have sex tonight if you want to!” Hahaha! Well, it’s not that urgent doc, but thanks! Then he got all his supplies together and did a local anesthetic to numb the area he would drain from. This numbing shot always hurts the most! When he sliced me to insert the draining tube, I barely noticed. Then when they starting draining the fluid into 1 liter containers, the nurse let my mom come in the room. I know this is going to sound super freaking gross and I shouldn’t even say it, but to me the fluid being drained into the containers looked like a big frothy dark beer! Yes, I’m disgusting but I’m not saying I wanted to drink the stuff…  I guess I’m saying I kind of felt like a keg. When the fluid drainage slowed down and they made sure there was no more left to drain, the total fluid that had been drained added up to 4.5 liters! So obviously my stomach is now much flatter and I am more comfortable (and I’m glad it no longer looks like I’m a little pregnant!). The doctor did send off some of the fluid to be tested to make sure they aren’t missing any information about the cancer and to make sure we are on the right track with the current treatments. 

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5:00 PM:

Finally home! The first thing I did was weigh myself to see how much of a difference having those fluids drained had made. 2 lbs lighter! I don’t feel too bad right now except for being tired after such a crazy day. If this round works out the way the last one did, I will feel ok tomorrow and then start feeling crappy on Wednesday. I have to go and get my Neulasta shot (white blood cell booster) tomorrow afternoon so I hope I feel fine. Now I’m going to rest for the remainder of the day and go to sleep early! I’m happy though that even with the extra procedure added on, I still got home earlier than I did for the first treatment!

If you made it to the end of this long post, I should send you a medal!