dand's Cancer Blog
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
| Chemo Day 1 | Views: 240 |
May 15
It was a very interesting day. I am exhausted. I got to Seattle around 8:15 AM and was immediately sent in to get my catheter. That took about 15 minutes. I went to 2 East like I was told and they didn’t know why I was there or what I was talking about. So I asked the lady to just look it up please. She gave me a look, something like, “I have more important things to do.” She did look it up and her attitude changed 180 degrees. She escorted me to where I was suppose to be smiled and say “Hang in there. It gets better.”
I checked in and was sent to CHEMO!. Yep, they started Chemo today. 6 hours sitting in there. 7 trips to the head. The saline was running through me like sieve.
Every thing went well until I got to Etopside (VP-16) and I had an allergic reaction about 2/3 of the way through. It was similar to shellfish poisoning. My face blew up, I crapped my pants, I broke out in hives and couldn’t breathe.
My angels were hopping and skipping. They stopped the drip and began benedryl and saline and got it under control after about 5 minutes.
Angel Nurse Gabrielle, is the oncology nurse, said she had never seen that reaction before. She checked with Angel Pharmacist Robin and found out this happens in less tha 1% of the people who take it.
Again I’m the special one. So now they have to go back to the drawing board and figure out a new protocol. Finally, done and ready to go home and Angel Nurse Allyson says, “Not so fast, I have to see you give yourself an injection.”
Folks, I hate needles. That’s why I would never be a junky. I watched the video and she brought over all the fixin’s and I gave myself a shot in the belly. And there was no pain the way she showed me to do it.
Anyway, I have anti-nausea pills and more anti-nausea pills and I have injections to help with keeping my white blood cell count up.
This protocol is going to change. They will all meet and decide what they will do next. I do not know what they will do next. I do not know when they will start the next round. As you can see from the past blogs and emails that you have received they change things in a heartbeat. I have to go back on Tuesday to have more blood tests to see how my body is reacting to the drugs. Hopefully they will let me know.
The MRI on the brain came back negative. I guess you have to have a brain to have tumors. No brain, no tumors.
Peace and Love
05.17.07 - 
Thanks for your support -
Keep up that great attitude!
Way to hang in there “trooper”! It sounds like they are taking pretty good care of you when they finally connect the dots and realize who you are. I too do not like needles, but would self inject if needed. I’m so glad they found no tumor in your brain, there’s the “good” news for the day we all needed to hear! Give me a call bud!
Dean
Just thinking about ya.
Sherri
What a day! Glad the MRI came back negative. That alergic reaction sounds scary. thanks for the update.
I can just see Will Smith in that movie when he had an allergic reation to shellfish. I know yours wasn’t funny. It does help with the visualization. So about the no brains, no brain tumor, I swore when you were in the office, that we could hear something rattleing around in there, do you suppose it was just marbles? I like Jennifer’s idea of the flash cards. I would be willing to help her make them. I’m sure no one would mind if you carried them around with you. I also see that you are supposed to drink lots of water, what about one of those hats with the straws, you know you might start a fashion trend. I was also wondering about how comfortable sitting for so may hours would be, I could make you a pillow to sit on, we could velcro it so it would slip around. We will be here for you. I’m glad day one is over for you. Congratulations. We will keep you in our prayers. Loralee