Several weeks ago a good friend of mine, that I've known for close to 35 years, asked if she could join me during one of my chemo days to see what goes on. My opinion? Not much goes on but she recently had another friend, who lives out of state, diagnosed with breast cancer and currently undergoing chemo so I think is curious about the process. Being internet phobic so has no access to my blog and only my verbal descriptions (admittedly aren't very good and a reason my preference to include many pictures here) to explain what's been going on with my cancer experiences. Told her ChemoDay#2 is best since it's the shorter time to be stuck there but she had prior conflicts and didn't want to wait another month. So, arrangements were made for a passenger to join me on ChemoDay#1. (She didn't want to drive separately.) Told her, warned her, advised her it would be a l-o-n-g day and once infusion started I was stuck there until it was completed. And that's how for my 9:20am C-Dr appt...
7:00am - alarm goes off, hit Snooze button and roll over.7:30am - 2nd alarm goes off, hit Snooze button and roll over.
7:45am - 3rd alarm goes off; it's intentionally on the other side of bedroom so I'm forced to get out of bed. Stumble to bathroom for shower and start process of making myself presentable to the outside world.
8:00am - call friend, who'd said she would be here at 8:30, and kindly informed her that I'm running slow and she can take her time.
8:40am - discover my mother is up & dressed and says she's ready to drive me to Dr appointment (she's less a morning person than me! but has also been sick, flat in bed, and barely eaten anything for last 3 days). Her dementia does add some variety to life and I'm glad one of my sisters will be coming up to be with her today.
8:50am - putting my lunch and snacks together into 'chemo busy bag' when friend shows up. We're soon off and on our way.
9:10am - yup, arrived early but plenty of time to check in, write check for co-pay, get receipt, and taking clue from notice on receptionist desk to ask about flu shots that are offered here. Oh, realize the long sleeved shirt I'm wearing today is not conducive to receiving a flu shot. Since I'm here again tomorrow the wardrobe will be planning more appropriately.
9:15am - my friend waits in the outer office as I'm called back for the 'vitals' work: weight, blood pressure, oxygen level, and temperature. The regular vitals gal is on vacation and the replacement isn't too chatty so I'm quickly escorted back to the exam room and wait for C-Dr. I can hear him talking with a patient in the next room but not clearly enough to follow conversation clearly, although from a few words I can pick up it reminded me of my first visit with him. Pick up the only magazine and absorb myself in it and wait.
and wait.
and wait.
9:45am - C-Dr comes in and apologizes for the wait saying he was with a new patient; tell him that's okay as I was a new patient once too and appreciated the time he took with me on that visit. Then down to business. Like previous visits a review of my last chemo treatment and how things have gone since then. Told him of my 'test' of delaying Senna-S for a day and my hope to make it through this week without having to use it at all. Also that I had used the anti-nausea pills, one night and morning and they did take the edge off my gunkiness feeling. Then he writes up the Rx for CT scan that will be used to see how things are going. Told him I'm looking forward to the results, and yet apprehensive at the same time. Nice guy: tells me that's normal but "you'll do just fine." Who doesn't like hearing that?! Just before it's time to hop up on exam table C-Dr says "You know, I never hear from you between treatments." Told him I hoped there would never be a reason to call him but this way he has time for the patients who really need him. He smiles and just says it's good I'm doing well. Mentally I'm telling myself to make a note and sometime next week to call and leave a message for him just to say 'Hi.' In a few weeks I've got a dentist appointment and ask C-Dr if there's anything I need to know about that. He asks if it's a routine cleaning and when I confirm that he says shouldn't be a problem but I do need to let dentist know of my cancer. Oh, great. Next step is the exam where he checks my neck and other lymph node areas and then says "good" and after that I'm released to go find my infusion chair for the day.
10:00am - drop off my Busy Bag in 'the chair' and then out to reception and escort my friend back to infusion room. There are only 2 other patients in there and only one of the regular chemo nurses so it looks like it might be another slow Monday, meaning few infusion patients on the schedule. My friend plunks herself into an infusion chair across from me and will likely not have to give it up to a patient today. She looks comfy doesn't she?10:05am - introductions are made when chemo nurse Lisa comes and gets the IV to my Port started and collects the blood sample needed the 'check my [blood] counts' making sure the numbers are good enough so the chemotherapy can be done. My friend averts her eyes during the procedure that inserts the IV needle into the port and also while the blood was being drawn but once that was done she was okay. While I wait for results this is a time I take for a restroom break w/o the IV pole and on my return my friend and I chat.
10:20am - nurse Lisa reports my numbers are good and gets me started on the course for today. The two small bags seen on the right (top of pole) are done first, starting with the Benedryl that takes about 20 minutes and is the one that makes me quite drowsy before its bag is completely emptied. I've learned to just go with the flow and rest my eyes rather than fight it. When the 2nd small bag (the anti-nausea stuff I think) is started, which also takes about 20 minutes, I'm usually still in resting my eyes mode but am more alert before it finishes. The medium sized bag on the bottom is regular saline that is used as a 'flush' between each med and the largest bag on top is the Rituxan.11:00am - the Rituxan is started. My friend asks how long it will take and I tell her about 4 hours. We chat. We read. We rest our eyes. We snack on our lunch. I do a crossword. I watch the slow drip, drip, drip of my IV. We chat. We read. We...etc.
12:00noon - except for me, all other patients have left. We have the place to ourselves the rest of the day. Here's a view to my right. View to the left is similar with empty chairs. View across from me? Well, you saw that already!1:00pm - nurse Lisa comes over and says C-Dr has determined that since I've done so well on the Rituxan with no side effects during infusion the past 3 treatments it will be okay to increase the drip rate and she cranks it up. Advantage is we're gonna get out of here earlier today than any other Monday. Yay! Disadvantage? I wonder and worry for several minutes if there will be a problem with the higher drip rate.
3:15pm - Bendamustine bag has emptied and the saline flush of Port has been completed followed lastly by a syringe push of Heparinized Saline used to prevent clotting in Port. All tubes removed except the Huber needle IV access tube that will remain in place overnight to be ready for tomorrow's infusion. Maybe I'll try and get a picture of that for next month.
Out early. Now what?
We'd always planned on going somewhere for dinner after my treatment and decided to give Cracker Barrel our business but never expected it would be a 3:30pm dinner. Way too early. So...
...we drove over there and had our choice of plentiful parking spots; at this time of day I'd think so! The weather was gorgeous and temperature superlative so we sat like two old people in the rockers on the porch and talked away the entire next hour. Watched the nearly empty parking lot collect more cars. Watched people go in. Watched people go out. Watched some of the people we'd watched go in come back out later after they'd eaten. Watched the traffic on the freeway. Watched the guy reading a book while riding his skateboard along the road and shortcut through the parking lot--watched for him to fall but he didn't. Amazing.
4:45pm - watching more and more customers go in so we decide to abandon our comfy rockers and get in ourselves.
6:00pm - arrive home, friends hops in her car to get herself home too.
Long day as warned, or promised.
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