Round 1 Complete

I officially finished my 46 hour chemo treatment this morning. The machine woke me up from a nap with an increasingly loud beep. I did not sleep well last night because my stomach finally started to disagree with the medicine. This was to be expected. Anyway, I had to remove the medicine bag line and then flush my line with saline followed by heparin. The saline flushes the line out and then the heparin keeps blood from clotting in the port. I wonder if I should answer in the affirmative now when I am asked on medical screens if I have ever been or am currently an IV drug user? After the initial flushing was complete I then had to remove the needle and tube. It is a rather ingenious little butterfly contraption. You grab the wings and pull outward away from the port and the wings collapse around the needle leaving it unexposed. Then I discarded everything into my medical waste bucket with hazardous symbols on the side. I left the bucket in our master bath, but maybe I should move it to the guest bath just to freak people out when they visit. I guess that is a little mean...ha ha! I was also thinking that I should put some other things down in my bucket just to fuck with the people who have to empty them. Nothing dangerous, just maybe some dirty old socks or underwear...or maybe a decapitated barbie doll. That should get their head spinning.

Anyway, hope everyone is well!

Peace,
Josh

Round 1

I started my treatment yesterday and it continues as we speak. I arrived yesterday at the clinic at about 7:15. I had blood drawn and then was taken back to the treatment area. The port is really nice and makes my life much easier. They are able to draw blood from it and then send it over to the lab. Only the nurses in the treatment room can draw the blood, not the normal lab folks. That means that I get a recliner sooner rather than staying in the waiting room for my blood work to be complete. They also have to do a urine analysis every time to check for some kidney functioning for one of the new medicines I take, Avastin. The last time I did chemo I was receiving medicine for about two hours. This time it is around four hours. Then I am sent home with my last medicine which pumps into my body for 46 hours. I am attached to it as I type. It comes with a medicine bag, pump, fluid lines, and a fanny pack. That right baby...the fanny pack is back!!! Ha ha!

The pharmacist who visited me in the chemo room had to teach me about the pump. They give you a medical waste bucket to take home along with a chemo-spill kit. Imagine a nuclear waste site gear and you will have an idea of the spill kit. He gave me all these instructions about what to do if any chemo spills. I think I am cleared to work at Yucca mountain now. Really helps me feel better about it going in my body...ha ha! Actually, he stated that he has never had anyone to have to use their spill kit.

Knock on wood, I am doing okay this morning. I have experienced some headaches and some nauseau, but nothing extremely painful or sickening. I know that this is the first treatment and it builds up over time so I am cautious in my assessment. It sucks to be back in that damn treatment room! I still cannot bring myself to eat the peanut butter crackers they offer you, since I developed an aversion to them the first time.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Peace
Josh