A day in the life of a chemo patient... August 19, 2008

How grateful I am to have a lap top, so even when I am lying in bed feeling sick and miserable, I can have the pleasure of typing it up to share with everyone.  I have been meaning to post this entry for a week, but every time I sit at the computer, it makes my head hurt too bad, and I get dizzy and blurred vision, etc.  So, even though I am posting this now, the following entry was from August 19th.

I began aggressive weekly chemo again last week.  I decided to keep a journal of the days events so I can share what a chemo day consists of.

August 19, 2008
This day, began at 7:30 a.m.  I had to be to the hospital by 8:00 a.m.  My appointments will consist of A LOT of waiting.  The first thing I did was go to the lab to get blood work done.   This is done to ensure my body can handle the weekly dose of poison, I mean chemo. 
    Then, I get weighed in, and wait and wait to see the doctor.  He is a really great doctor, and he will take whatever time you need, however this translates to a really long wait while he takes the time to talk to all the other patients.  My appointment time was 9:00 a.m. and I think I finally saw the doctor at 9:45 or so.   Really lucky for me!!  Sometimes the wait can be  up to 2 hours!  Thank goodness for an early appointment time. 

We had a really good discussion with Dr. Hansen about my prognosis now that I have brain mets.  He believes that if treatment is successful again as it was with the same drugs, plus with all of the other chemo drugs that are available for breast cancer, that he should be able to keep me here at least a year, and hopefully a couple of years.  Of course, this is just best case scenario.  I could die in a car accident on the way home from the hospital.  But it is nice to know what "usually" happens with stage 4 cancer, and what to expect.  This round of chemo will be 6 months of 3 weekly treatments, followed by a 1 week break in between cycles.  I have a LONG road ahead of me. 

After I visit with the doctor, I go to the infusion room.  This is a room jam packed with 15 recliners, plus a bunch of old ratty chairs for your visitors to sit in.  I don't know why this annoys me, but it does.  I feel like they should have more comfortable chairs for your support people, and more privacy.  It is now 10:10 a.m.  I am settled in my chair and just waiting to have my IV started.

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Once you are in the infusion room, you have to wait to get "hooked up".  Sometimes this takes a long time, sometimes it is quicker.  The oncologist mixes all your drugs by hand in what Dan likes to call "his kitchen".  It kind of reminds me of a mad scientist in his lab.  My drug cocktails include:  Anzamet, Aloxi, Dexamethasone, Benadryl, xantac, and those are only the PRE meds!!!!

After all of those are ran with a bag of saline, then the chemo drugs start.  First is my  Hercpetin infusion.  I will only be getting the smaller weekly dose again instead of the every 3 week dose.  The weekly dose takes about 30 minutes.

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Then the next drug is Taxol.  Because this drug is more toxic, it takes longer to run the IV.  It takes about an hour.  The first week of the 3 week cycle I will receive Zometa, the drug for my bones.  This IV takes about 30-45 minutes.  On the 2nd week, I only get Herceptin and Taxol.  On week 3, I get a double dose of Herceptin, and a single week of Taxol.  Then I get a week off so my body can recover.  Confusing?  Yes.  That is why I take note of what drugs they are supposed to give me, because the nurses are so busy running around helping all the people receiving chemo, and every patient gets a different cocktail.  If I don't keep track of my own stuff, sometimes the nurse will give me the wrong premeds, or run the IV too fast or too slow, or forget to put a filter on the IV tubing, you get what I mean!

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1:00 p.m.  Almost done.  I have watched the slow drip, drip, drip of the IV and the slow tick, tick, tick of the clock.  I am now pale and drawn and just don't feel good.  I feel like I want to jump out my skin (I am told this is from the Dexamethasone, steroid).  I am ready to be done, and go home, and crawl in bed.

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Here I am, bored, tired, and just starting to feel the effects of all of the drugs flowing through my system.  I just pray that they are killing cancer cells while they are ravaging my healthy cells. 

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Here is Dan.  He comes up to the hospital to bring me lunch, and keep me company.  He waits until I am done with treatment, and then he takes me home.  I am afraid I am usually not very good company.  I get kind of ornery, and just want quiet, and we all know that Dan has a hard time being quiet!!  I love him anyway!!

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Now just waiting for the nurse to come unhook me from my IV.  My mom and Dan always remark the vast difference of how I look before treatment, and after.  It is just really physically draining on the body to go through this.  Usually by the evening of chemo, my hands and feet are burning, I am tired, yet antsy.  I have so many side effects, and then have to take pills for those side effects, that cause more problems and on and on.  I don't even know what "normal" feels like anymore.  I guess this is my normal. 

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Here it is, 1:30 p.m. and I am almost going to be outta here.  My mom has been stalwart and steady, with me every visit.  Lots of times with her cell phone up to her ear, she keeps all of the family in the loop.  You can see the clock in the background.  Can't wait to get home and crash. 

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