Treatment #2, Continued Thursday 2.7.2008

Day 2, Treatment #2

IV Hydration, Genetic Counseling

Dan and I arrived at the office about 10:30 for our 10:30 appointment. I signed in, set my things down in a chair, and went down the hall to get on the scales. I know I'm holding fluid... 147.8#. Wow!! Yesterday was 144.6, same scale. I had not even sat down, and BL (Badgeless Lady) took us to Treatment Room 2. Same end of the hall as yesterday, 2 doors down. She rolls in an IV pole with a 250 ml bag of 0.9% normal saline strung up.

This room was the same as the others, though the chair was burgandy leather and had the side table affixed. I think I like that better. I looked around for the artwork. There wasn't any. Just a calendar on the wall. 2 side chairs, under the television, and a rolling stool. This room might have been a little smaller. The window was directly behind me, and still bright, and I asked Dan to turn off one of the lights. Much better.

1045 Rose came in--Good Morning!! She looks much better today. She looked up at the IV, and made the comment that she needed the big bag of fluid...took that one down, left, and returned with a 1000 ml bag and hung it on the pole. She looks around for a pillow for my arm, there isn't one, so she steps next door and gets that one. There. She places it under my right forearm. Rose opens the drawer and gets out a prefilled saline flush, unwraps the self stick wrap from my arm and screws on the syringe. Push, pull, good blood return, YAY, THE NEEDLE'S GOOD!!! Push some more saline, hook up the bag. She sees the print out of the appointment times that we picked up yesterday on our way out. I mention that the lab draw is scheduled for tomorrow....she frowns and says that's not right, takes my paper and looks at it more closely. I tell her the 0830 chemo appointment scheduled next needs to be moved, too, as I prefer a 9:30 or after. Ok, she says, I'll look at it and why it's scheduled like that. She leaves the room.

1055 Rose is back with the piggyback of Aloxi 0.25 mg and Decadron 10 mg in 50 ml. Running fine. That runs in and finishes at 1110. Rose mentioned that she was going to see if Michelle Fedewa, the Genetic Specialist, would be able to see me, or if we "were going to have to do something different...." I don't know, I didn't ask...

1130 Michelle Fedewa comes into the room, a pleasant vibrant woman in her mid to late 40's, with dark wavy hair pulled into short ponytail and a dark sparkly headband ineffective at keeping her bangs out of the way. Or maybe it wasn't supposed to. I couldn't help but notice she had on a 3 piece jewelry set, earrings and necklace, pretty silver chain and settings with a dark red ?saphire stone. She was a little heavy. She had a black skirt on, above her knees, and black lace legwear. Funny I noticed all that, but not her shoes really. I always notice shoes...

Anyway, nice lady. She is talking quickly and is happy I've filled out the questionnaire. (Thank you to all who responded). I still have a couple of folks not responded, but she was ok with that. BL was close behind her with a TV/VCR/DVD combo player on a cart, and my chart that was created for her. (so now I have 2 charts there...) We talk some, she looks over the forms, and asks a few questions. Wow, she says, I see a couple of flags right off, but I'm going to take this back to my office and draw the genogram, and have you watch the movie. That will go over what I will go over specific to you, and when I come back we'll talk about your diagram. She has a box that turns into the shipping box for the blood sample that is only done in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The only lab. (Hm. Wouldn't you think other labs would have that kind of set up? Maybe not, because it's so specific.) I tell her that I definitely want the blood drawn, and she goes into a little of the what ifs if it is positive, like how everyone in the bloodline needs to know my positive carrier status so they can make a decision as to whether or not they want to get tested for the same mutation. But we don't need to worry about that until the results come back, and that will be approximately 4-5 weeks. She smiles. OK? See you later... She starts the move, and off she goes.

Interesting movie, and I have to pause it to use the restroom, at 1200. I return, and the video is done at 1210.

Dan and I are alone, we talk about the whole genetics thing, and how science and genetics are so awesome, and that we're only at the beginning of discovering disease processes, etc. We each often look up to check the drip rate on the bulk, which is pretty quick, but the needle is positional, as everything is swollen and the tapes are snug. But I move my hand and can speed it up. After a bit, I just open the roller clamp a little more. Yes, I did, because it's just fluid and can just go in. At 1300, it's done. I hear Rose across the hall checking on another patient, and as she's telling him she'll be back in about 20 minutes, I "ringy dingy" the bell, softly, and she peeks in.

The bulk is done, the movie is done, and she wonders out loud if Michelle was coming back or what. She also wonders out loud about the blood tube. I tell her yes, I definitely want it done, and she says, well, we can try taking it out of this. (Cool) I'll draw a waste tube, then draw the one for them. Ok, Great, I say. Now, she cautions, this may not work. Ok. She untapes stuff and takes things apart and gets the adapter for the blood tubes. Cool, it's working. We have to manipulate it a little, but there it goes, right up the tube. Big smile. She gets the specimen tube, and it fills. YAY!! Done! I didn't realize that I was not breathing big until it was over, and as I'm writing this, I sighed big, too. After she got the IV disconnected, and before she drew the blood, she gave me the injection of Neulasta, 6 ml, IM, in the back of my upper right arm. I read the box. That stuff is made from E. Coli. No kidding! Google it! No wonder body aches are a side effect...

Anyway, she pulls the needle out, wraps my arm with more self stick wrap, and goes out to call Michelle.

Michelle comes back in about 1320, and we have a great conversation about my diagram. It shows that I have "big red flags" on both maternal and paternal sides. I will try to tell you briefly a little of what she said. That prostate cancer and breast cancers are related. And if I show a mutation, that information impacts my bloodline. Given that I have had the full screening, others only need to be screened for the same mutation. And all males will be encouraged to include simple screening tests in their annual physicals, and all females will be encouraged to start mamms and ultrasounds sooner, and be assertive if they find something new, not blow it off just because they are younger... She started talking about the ethnicity piece, and mentioned that she's doing a lot of work on reservations in Mt. Pleasant area. I name dropped, but she didn't recognize Diane right off, but Daniel's ears picked up and paid attention, as he is half Ottowa Indian, and his father died of colon cancer at age 45 ish. Oh, she said. And we talked about that, and his mother's passing of breast cancer, and his sister's passing of scleroderma (another Indian disease), and decided that we will schedule an appointment with her for Daniel's work up.

She stayed with us until 1400, at which time we finished up. I went to the restroom again before leaving.

Daniel and I needed to get groceries, so we headed to Meijers. I felt good, but I recognised the facial/sinus-like pressure in my face, and the swelling in my hands, and the stimuli was a little much, but overall I did pretty good. We got home, Daniel and Breon did groceries, I went to the bathroom, and had to rest a bit before I could eat.

I did eat a wonderful turkey sandwich, some milk, and called the nursing home to let them know I would be down, but would they please feed Mom her dinner. (I had written on the calendar for them to feed, but I wanted to let them know I would be down). I went upstairs to lay on my sofa and rest for about 45 minutes.

I got up about 5:20, and got ready to go. Next thing I see, Dan has his coat on. Cool. He drove me down. Mom was in the geri chair, and I talked to her, telling her I did ok with this round of treatment so far. She looked at me and nodded her head.

I got her cleaned up and over to bed, waited for meds, and tucked in. We left, and went over to the Parlour, a local ice cream shop, for a snack.

Dan and I shared chicken strips and onion rings, and we each had a small hot fudge sundae. I asked for mine to be a very small scoop, with almonds, whipped cream, and a cherry, and Dan had a larger single scoop, and didn't have nuts on his, I don't think. You know what's weird? I couldn't taste the chicken hardly at all, or the one onion ring I had. But that ice cream, wow, hit the spot. I ate it all. And I usually don't.

We came home, settled in for the night. Dan went to bed, I wrote here. And it's 11:30 again.

Let me say. THANK YOU for all the wonderful support, phone calls, and COMMENTS!!! I love it. Please know that each of you are appreciated for the wonderful person that you are. Heard from or not. I love that when I happen to talk to you, you tell me that you've been reading. That's so important to me. And I know I get long-winded (?), but there's so much to tell you...

I'll write tomorrow...