So I am pleased to report that yesterday's visit to the hospital and bloodwork came back positive enough in terms of counts of neutrophils, wbcs, platelets etc. to resume immediate treatment. And yes believe it or not that is truly good news. On Thursday I will go back to the hospital to begin a course of Neupogen injections to stimulate my bone marrow in the production of neutrophils - to prevent further delays in treatments. The injections will go for 5-7 days, once daily, and Victoria will be trained on how to inject me if needed. Good for her as she will finally be able to "stick it to me" as I am sure she has wanted to do!!! I imagine fellow chemo patients regardless of protocol/regimine would agree with me that the last thing we want is for delays in the treatment. We want the treatments to follow the prescribed schedule...let the drugs do their work as prescribed. And in my case I am determined to be through these treatments (12 in total) before the arrival of our baby currently "scheduled" for a November 27 date. With this 10 day delay in my treatments between #7 and #8 it now pushes my last treatment to at least end of October. No more delays!!!!!
So today represents day 2 of treatment #8...my infusion bottle is nestled on my hip connected to a tube coming out of the port in my chest (and yikes did my nurse have some difficulty finding the port yesterday multiple pricks with the needle and re-insertion was pretty painful...but pain is a relative thing these days) and my nurse will come by tomorrow afternoon to disconnect, check my vitals and remove the dressing. And I get to shower afterward!!!!! Yippppppeeeeee!!!!!!!! As for side effects and how I am feeling...well...in one word...Meh. Blah. Uggghhh. Tired. Fatigued. Sour. These single words all describe me to a tee today. Sour stomach (although no nausea)...no appetite..no taste buds...wicked sensitivity to cold in my fingers and mouth., significant fatigue and tiredness...the usual.
This treatment represents #8 out of 12...and again using my elementary or high school math skills I think equals 2 thirds of the way done...2 out 3...that's not bad.
In the immortal words of Jim Steinman and Meatloaf:
You'll never find your gold on a sandy beach
You'll never drill for oil on a city street
I know you're looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks
But there ain't no Coup de Ville
Hiding at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box...
....Now don't be sad (Don't be sad)
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Now don't be sad (Cause)
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
So today represents day 2 of treatment #8...my infusion bottle is nestled on my hip connected to a tube coming out of the port in my chest (and yikes did my nurse have some difficulty finding the port yesterday multiple pricks with the needle and re-insertion was pretty painful...but pain is a relative thing these days) and my nurse will come by tomorrow afternoon to disconnect, check my vitals and remove the dressing. And I get to shower afterward!!!!! Yippppppeeeeee!!!!!!!! As for side effects and how I am feeling...well...in one word...Meh. Blah. Uggghhh. Tired. Fatigued. Sour. These single words all describe me to a tee today. Sour stomach (although no nausea)...no appetite..no taste buds...wicked sensitivity to cold in my fingers and mouth., significant fatigue and tiredness...the usual.
This treatment represents #8 out of 12...and again using my elementary or high school math skills I think equals 2 thirds of the way done...2 out 3...that's not bad.
In the immortal words of Jim Steinman and Meatloaf:
You'll never find your gold on a sandy beach
You'll never drill for oil on a city street
I know you're looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks
But there ain't no Coup de Ville
Hiding at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box...
....Now don't be sad (Don't be sad)
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Now don't be sad (Cause)
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Dave, haven't they given you Emla cream to apply to your port site? I apply it an hour before bloodwork and chemo, and I don't feel a thing! I know you only have four more to go, but pharmacies sell a very small tube that would likely last just long enough. And it would help a ton if you get another nurse who is less than "gifted" at finding the right spot. I have been lucky so far, no issues that way, but I remember when Nance had to go into the ER, the nurses there had no idea how to deal with a port, and one bent a gripper needle in her chest! She said she would have been better off doing it herself!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling a bit better. I myself (and Tim's two kids) all have a cold, so I am hoping THAT doesn't delay my next treatment - it is the first one I will be having in Cambridge, and we have already delayed it by three days due to scheduling constraints of the short week after the long weekend. I meet the oncologist and have bloodwork on Wednesday and then Chemo #18 on Friday next week. I'm a little nervous going to a new hospital and not knowing anyone, but I suppose it won't be long and I will be as comfortable there as I am in Saskatoon. They have agreed to do every other treatment in Cambridge and just bill it to SaskHealth so I don't have to fly back and forth so much.
I'm also hoping the cold doesn't get any worse because I would like to get out on the golf course this weekend. If you developed a cold right now, would you go to a walk-in for antibiotics or would you just try to battle it on your own?
Take care Bud,
BJ~~
Hey, Barb! No emla for me but I will definitely look into it for the next four treatments because I do NOT want a repeat of the pain from not being able to hook into the port again. OUCH!! To answer your question I would probably call my Onc team if I developed a bad cold or go into ER especially since my neutrophils have been low and I just started Neupogen injections today.
DeleteHope you get over the cold real soon, my friend. That really sucks. Have a fantastic long weekend, BJ!