This was a long day. It was good to finally get the ball rolling instead of wondering what Teddy was up to. It was our turn to take charge!
We got to the chemotherapy clinic for 10:30 a.m. and received our schedule for the next visit. Once again, the building was full of people waiting with their pagers for their turn. We were greeted by our nurse for the day, Alison. We could choose between a bed along the wall or a recliner by the window…so we chose window since our treatment would be 4.5 hours long. She put the iv needle in…breathe Ken J. Ken took the 1st day pill of his ‘Emend’ anti-nausea pill. It was smaller that it looked in the package so he was glad! It was cool in there because it’s more comfortable for anyone who is nauseous. Also, the nurses wear special lab coats for their protection in case there is a chemo drug mishap, they are impenetrable. This makes it hotter for them to work in. A steady stream of people came and went for smaller doses, etc. Alison sat with us for quite a while giving us the tips and tricks of what to expect. She did a great job and we were very relaxed and comfortable. There was a picture on the wall in our spot with a whole bunch of hot air balloons. So as true RE/MAX above the crowd people we knew that was a good sign! The 1st iv bag was just regular liquid to hydrate. Another one with that was for nausea…with a steroid mix. Then another to stimulate his kidneys so lots of bathroom trips. Our chemo drug is Cisplatin which tends to be hard on the kidneys so lots of liquids are important. It is considered ‘high dose’ so I’m glad we only get it 3 times. Then at 1:25 pm, it began. The chemo bag was attached. We were talking with Jim, our social worker, at the time. It was distracting to try to listen to him. The chemo drip was very fast and loud…there was no turning back. Here we go boys and girls hang on for the ride. It emptied very fast compared to the earlier bags. Then another water series to top off the cocktail. I pictured ‘in with the good, out with the bad’. Ken pictured ‘red wine’. Time seemed to go fast. Stopped at the pharmacy for the after chemo pills for nausea. Then off to radiation.
Radiation was for 3:55pm. Ken took an ‘ativan’ to relax because it was supposed to be an extra long treatment for the 1st one. Then we waited and waited. Ken nodded off from said pill as expected, but appointments were behind schedule. By the time the pager went off for our turn it was almost 2 hours later. Needless to say, the pill had worn off by then. They let me go back to the next waiting room with him. Then it was our turn and off Ken went for new experience #2 of the day. Me being the curious (and concerned) one stood in the hallway and peeked over the technician’s shoulder at the screen. Really cool high tech stuff watching Ken’s neck and head while they zoomed in with their precision points. In about 10 minutes they were finished! Yeah. So not the long one we expected. The technician brought me back into the room where Ken was. And there was my brave friend on the table with his mask. Let’s call him ‘Marvin’. Once he was up, they gave us the do’s and don’ts for what to put on his skin and what not to put on his skin. Told him to eat all he wants because the treatment is very hard on the throat and liquids will be your routine in a few weeks possibly…so bulk up now! With that permission, Ken had me stop on the way home at Burger King for an Angry Whopper, Fries and a milkshake. Not his regular meal routine so he may pay for this after eating it!!
It was a long drive home. It had been raining and was dark and dreary all day. As we left London, the rain changed to snow. Not the pretty fluffy kind. The kind the blows straight into the headlights ALL the way home. Nice to get home ~8:30pm!
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