Just a quick update here to tell you that the day went very well, as far as any reaction to the new type of chemo. It can produce an allergic reaction and I was a little concerned - but they give Benydryl through the IV before the chemo as well as the steroid to help control that. I have had no reaction at all to this point and feel just my normal self. I have 3 days of supplementary meds - antinausea, etc. - so we'll see what happens when they are finished. I was warned about aching joints 36 hours after the chemo that should last for another 36 hrs. as well as tingling on palms of hands and soles of feet, because this type attacks nerves and can cause permanent damage. I sat for a while with both hands in cups of ice water to reduce circulation in my fingers during the chemo admin., so that not as much of it would get to my fingertips. Kind of hard to read and turn the pages...but I just alternated hands eventually.
The day itself was long, though. We were up by 6:00 and left the house by 6:40, arriving in Windsor before 8:00 - I was actually in the lab by then. Got blood drawn, was one of the first ones in to see the doctor - and then found out that my MUGA scan (heart video) had not been sent from the Chatham hospital. Had to wait at least 30 min. for that, sitting in the doctor's examining room . Nice visit with the doctor when that arrived - we are all pleased with how well I am doing - talked about my CT scan and the fact that it is clear - no spread of cancer to any internal organs! Good news ! (I had heard this before but had not had a chance to discuss it with my own doctor.) On the way from Doctor's office to chemo waiting room, I barely had time to go to the washroom before they were calling me in for chemo - looking good, timewise ! However, when they were setting me up, we ran into a big problem. My port wouldn't run cleanly to their satisfaction. It is always flushed out with saline and then they withdraw a little blood, to make sure it is open and that the chemicals will flow in properly from the chemo. You can have some serious problems if there are any leaks. Anyhow - they couldn't get any blood to come out due to a protein buildup or something, and it took them from 10:00 - 11:45 and several different procedures to finally get it open - plus some fervent prayers on my part ! Chemo didn't get started until 12:00 and I'm thinking I'm going to be there til 7:00 or so - 6 hrs. for the first chemo plus 30 min. for the clinical trial drug plus flushing the line every time they have to change IV bags. But a little 'magic' was performed somewhere along the line - helped by me not having any bad reaction to the chemo I think - vitals were checked every 15 min. for the first hour or so - and I walked out at 4:45 ! We stopped for dinner on the way home and were back in town about 7:00 p.m. Long day but it could have been longer !
So - went well - everything's cool - we'll see what the weekend brings. Thanks for your prayers.
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