Arrived at the Spielman Center at 8 a.m. and started the process of getting ready to be infused with the two chemo drugs. One more treatment with these two then on to four treatments every-other-week with Taxol.
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| - Random Pic o' the Day - Me & Brutus, Big Wheels event, 2-4-12 LifeCare Alliance Fundraiser |
1. Arrive and have the catheter installed in my hand/wrist through which the chemo will then be infused.
2. Go back to an exam room where two nurses and my oncologist eventually meet with me.
3. First nurse takes BP, temp, oxygen levels, etc.
4. Second nurse gives me one of two anti nausea drugs and asks me a bazillion questions about how I'm feeling.
5. Then my oncologist arrives. She goes over results from a blood draw that looks at my platelets, hemoglobin, liver function, etc. Nothing alarming in those results for me this week. We discuss how I'm feeling and if we need to address anything.
6. Finally move to the room where the infusion will take place. Total infusion time is about 1.5 hours.
Today, Doc Lustberg and I made a decision together to exchange out one of my IV anti-nausea drugs for another and extend the use of another an extra two days into the work week. Why? Concern over my weight loss. I weighed in at 123 lbs on May 18, dropped to 119 lbs on June 1 and, today, 116 lbs. Seems the light queasiness I've felt since starting chemo has been enough to keep me from consuming the required amount of calories. Dr. Lustberg stressed it's o.k. to eat anything that sounds good to me - that I'm not to be concerned about healthful foods at this point in my treatment. Loved that advice! Came home and ate three Hostess Ho Ho and chased them with a bowl of my fave chicken noodle soup from Einstein's Bagels at the Huntington Center.
My meeting with Dr. Lustberg this morning once again reinforced that I made the right decision to receive treatment through OSU. She is an amazing oncologist, the people at the center are simply outstanding, and the facility beautiful -- they cater to your every need.
And, I want to give a shout-out to all of you who I know (and didn't know) were praying for me today, and to those who texted me their support. I am uplifted by the love and use it as an extra shield against the dangers of self-pity.
My iPhone has become an invaluable tool for documenting this journey. So, moving on now to three pics from today, but with One caveat: I've included an image that might leave some of you feeling a little queasy!
Starting from the bottom and going clockwise: 1) Received a sweet visit from Cindy. I was glad she and my mom got to see each other. Good chance, too, for us to pray together. 2) Similar office view from June 1. 3) Infusion of the first of two chemo drugs, Doxorubicin [aka Adriamycin]. The "rubicin" is in reference to the red color of the drug, which comes from the Latin root word for red, rubrica. I receive two syringes full of that lovely cocktail, which is manually administered by a nurse and takes about 30 minutes. The white and red pad you see on my arm above the wrist is a heat pack that helps keep my veins from "twinging" as the drugs flow in. The second drug of the day, Cytoxan, arrives through an IV bag and takes around 45-60 minutes to process, depending on how I'm feeling. Today, we headed out the door at 12:45 p.m. Not bad.
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