Wednesday 3.19.2008 Chemo Day

Day 1, Treatment #4

We started our day about 0745. Up and at 'em! Going to get the last of the chemotherapeutic agents. Dan and I were out the door about 0905, and arrived at the office in a timely manner. I told the nice ladies behind the window I was there, and a few minutes later, one of the Badgeless Ladies called us back.

Stop at the scale--#144.0 (143.8 when I exhaled) and she showed us to Exam Room 9. Blood pressure 96/60 (normal for me), pulse 96 (yup, a little anxious), temp 97.6. Ok. "We were told we were going to get started (like put the IV in and get the blood sent) while we were waiting for Dr..." BL looked at the chart and said that if that is to happen, it's noted here. And it isn't. Let me go find out, and I'll be back to let you know. Ok, thanks, BL. Sure enough, she was back in just a couple of minutes, saying that Dr. was here and will be in shortly. Ok, Great.

I took a quick look around the room, so I could tell you about it. 3 side chairs, exam table, 3 watercolors on the wall of water scenes, the counter/sink, and cabinets, etc....

Dr Bolmer came in just a couple of minutes later. We had a conversation first about any side effects. Not too many, my skin (on my hands) seems to be doing pretty good, I did not bleed this 3 week interval (that's good, she says), but let me tell you about being hot....

She smiled, listened to my descriptors of my head so hot, and nodded sympathetically. Yes, she said, your hormones are being attacked, and we can't replace those, so... you'll have to deal with them the best you can. She reminded me that the phytoestrogens in substances like soy and black cohosh are off limits, too. Not saying to avoid soy, just don't look to use it lots.

Ok, looks like we're on the temp instability pathway for a while. Can't say how long, everybody's different.

And then I told her about Elaine, and that the Funeral was Monday. She said the appropriate things, and we thanked her.

Then I told her of the bloody scab I have every day from the inside of the right nare (nose). We were done with our conversation; she invited me to sit on the exam table, pulled the back of the table up, I leaned back, and she proceeded to look, listen, and feel. Lungs good, heart good, poked at my abdomen (how's the constipation.. no problems there). Then she got the lighted scope instrument and looked in my nose. Yup, there it is. Looks really superficial. She asked a few more questions about it, I told her my concerns about having a flood of blood from my nose (she doesn't think it will), and offered that I could put ointment on a q-tip and try to treat it, or just let it be. She thinks it's a side effect of the Taxotere, like the rash on my hand. Ok, good. It should heal up in several weeks and not to worry. I hope.

Follow up visit with Dr. Bolmer the first week of June, and we'll talk about Tamoxifen, the pill that I'll take for 5 years. We'll review the hot flash situation and look at possible options, she mentioned low dose Effexor.

We were done, it was about 10:10. She escorted us down the hall to the Treatment Rooms, found a staff person, and Dan and I chose to be in Treatment Room 3, the corner room with 2 windows. A different BL did what she does with the chart, wrote my name on the white board, and let the nurses know that we there.

Treatment Room 3 has the maroon recliner with the swingy arm table, 2 side chairs, tv and calendar on the wall. We've been there before.

Rose came in within a couple of minutes. She attempted to start my IV. Unsuccessful, x 2. Bummer. My veins were just not plumping up. I don't get it--I've had so much water, and I had the heating pad wrapped around my arm. 10:40, Phyllis came in for another attempt. She didn't get it either. So, we wrapped my arm with the heating pad, and waited.

11:00 Phyllis came back and got a needle in, in the antecube (inside the elbow). It may not keep overnight, and it's positional (I have to keep my arm straight for it to infuse), but it's in. She pulled the short lavender tube of blood and hung a 1000 ml bag of 0.9 normal saline. Drip, drip. Bathroom time for me--I had 24 ounces before I left home this morning, and it's time to go...

1105 Phyllis came back the with 50 ml piggyback of Zofran 32 mg, decadron 10 mg, benadryl 25 mg, and tagamet 300 mg. Drip, drip. Within just a few minutes, I could feel my head spinning. I have tried to describe it before--not drunk, not really tired, but weird like that.

1140 Whatever is making me go, I had to use the bathroom again. I wove my way down the hall...

1150 Phyllis in to check on us. She opened the roller clamp to finish the last little bit in the bag, and the bulk started running in.

1210 Phyllis started the Taxotere, 125 mg in 250 ml of normal saline. Both the bulk and the Taxotere are infusing.

1230 Bathroom time again. (I have consumed another bottle of water...) When I got back to the room, Dan helped me get settled in The Chair, my turn for the computer, and he left to get our lunches.

1255 Daniel back with lunch, and we ate. Drip, drip.

1335 Phyllis in to check the Taxotere. It's almost done, she sped it up--it was just about done anyway. 1340 Taxotere done, bulk infusing.

1350 Phyllis came in with the Cytoxan and started that. She also left the normal saline bulk infusing. I'm ok with that.

1415 Bathroom time...I've have consumed the second bottle of water.

1450 Patti, another of the nurses came in to check on us. She adjusted the rates on the bags--the Cytoxan was running a bit slow, and she slowed down the bulk.

1515 Cytoxan done. Bulk almost done. I reached up and opened the roller clamp, there was a little over 200 ml left.

1530 Phyllis came in and gave me a new med. Aranesp 20 mcg. in 0.4 ml. She put it in a port on the iv tubing. The Aranesp is to boost the red blood cells. Dr had mentioned it earlier, pending the lab results. Hemoglobin 10.3, so I guess they don't want it to get any lower. She also said there may be side effects, like bone pain. Great, bring it on. Let's beat this cancer and keep the rest of me healthy.

She let the bulk run in for another minute or so to get that stuff in, then disconnected the tubing, flushed it with heparin, wrapped it with the purple self-stick wrap, and sent us on our way. Whew.

We were home just before 4. We each vegged out, Dan went upstairs to work on his computer, and I've managed to put this post together.

It's about 8:00. I've had another 24 ounces of water, my facial bones feel like sinus pressure, my fingers are tight, my head is a bit swimmy. Daniel is watching over me, and overall I'm doing great.

Thank you, God, for a safe infusion today. For Daniel, for all my family, friends, and readers and other people I may not even know about praying for me, sending me energies and keeping me strong.