On June 11th, I felt the most anxious to date during this semi-charted voyage. The fear of the unknown and the 'might happen' made me feel most vulnerable, but I was accepting of what happens; will deal with whatever happens; and have faith in those that I have placed my health and well-being.
Arriving at Dana Farber (Methuen), I've become a regular. The check-in desk receptionist begins to sort through the pre-made wrist bracelets as soon as I'm next in queue. After asking the required security and privacy questions, I was 'cuffed' and then (surprisingly) was told to, "Go right on in through the double doors." Wow. No waiting. Almost like a VIP pass at Disney World.
Arriving at the inner sanctum, I was greeted by a vision of a newly remodeled unit, replete with new furnishings and other accoutrements. It was quite busy with eight stations. Most were occupied with patients hooked to IV apparatus. I found station seven to be open and made myself comfortable. Not long after a nurse came up and apologetically said, "You need your labs." I indicated that I had them done [as instructed] on 5/26. "Oh, Dana Farber wants the test 14 days prior to chemo.", she decreed. [What am I two days over the limit? How much would change?] I didn't want to argue, so I said 'Whatever' and she proceeded to draw blood.
While waiting for the next shoe to drop, I overheard another nurse say as she arrived holding a rather large plastic bag filled with many items filled with liquid, "This packet is for Richard Page". [I could hear the clunk clunk of Law and Order play in my head.] This is real.
Nurse Elizabeth introduced herself and said she would be administering my treatment today. While talking she sat and delicately pierced the vein she found suitable. She hooked up an IV and said that it would feel cold. I was wondering if it was the chemo when she added that this was a saline drip to flush out the 'system'. Yes I began feeling the chill and not long after the need to 'go'. I was directed to the facilities which I ending using many times this day.
After the first drip was completed, Elizabeth told me that she was going to give me two more drips. These included two types of anti-nausea meds. [Why two? She said that there are receptors in the brain and this combination blocks those and eliminates that response. It stays with the body for up to 36 hours.] Both IV bags were emptied and I needed to empty before yet another saline bag was attached. The bag was about half full when she said that she was going to attach yet another because there was 'so much AC [chemo] for me'. She wasn't kidding. Next in the bag were two huge pistons full of red Kool-ade looking fluid. Looking at the size of the opening, I asked if those too would be delivered via drip. "No", she said. She needed to manually 'push it' through my veins and alternate with saline. YIKES.
Elizabeth finally pulled up a chair and said that she finished other tasks so she could devote her full attention to administering the AC. She had a fact sheet that she reviewed with me [the same as the Sandra Creamer hand-out]. Elizabeth's explanations were consistent with Sandra's.
With a very serous tone, Elizabeth said that she was going to start the AC. She indicated that she would push the solution in and alternate with the saline drip to protect the vein. She repeated the dangers about any AC escaping from the point of injection. She said, "If you feel any discomfort or pain, let me know immediately." "What level of pain should be reported?", I asked. She said ANYTHING more than what I feel at this moment. "Understood", I replied. "OK here we go.", she said. "Because there is so much it will take about a half hour."
I watched as the red chemo entered my vein and didn't sense any changes. She inquired and I responded in kind. From this point it was only waiting and having conversation on a variety of subjects from Cancer to world events. Very nice person who was flattered that I thought she was in her 20's. (She said she was in her forties. But she looked fantastic. I made her blush.)
Finally the first piston was finished. She disconnected it and said that she'd let a little more saline pass before starting the second. It wasn't long before round two was in full swing. More conversation and waiting. "Done.", she said. She then connected yet another IV bag, this time it was some type of steroid that she said would help my immune system and may give me a boost of energy. It may also keep me from sleeping.
After that IV was emptied, I needed to empty my bladder. She reminded me that I will see red - not yellow. Well, it was more like blush rose and not Cabernet. But there was definitely color.
After the steroid bag was emptied, I finished all remaining saline packs. And of course had to check on more freshly made rose. It was now OK to leave. Which I did after checking out and confirming my next appointment in a week.
I generally felt OK, but had a slight head ache and was 'fuzzy'. Not like Aunt Clara brand, but more like "I didn't have my coffee today - fuzziness". That didn't go away and still persists but not as bad. It may be the side effect of the two anti-nausea drugs in my system. Just a dull head ache and no nausea. A more than decent trade-off.
I was told to drink, drink, drink water. Which I did, did, did until the rose color was gone. I was even able to eat a few bland things. Wasn't really hungry, but knew I should eat something.
I chilled out watching the tube between bathroom visits and refills on water. I guess I napped a bit too. Went to bed around 11 and slept OK considering. I had strange dreams. I'm sure my subconscious was worried about my mental recall capacities and went into the way back machine with recalling a story my mother told me years ago. It was about a disagreement she had with her brother Edward over their correct phone number which ended up with my mother (as a little girl) getting a pencil jabbed in her head because his answer wasn't complete. Back then (and even when I was a kid) local numbers were 5 numbers preceded by two letters (corresponding to numbers on the rotary dialer, but not used). In Haverhill it was DRAKE - or DR for 3, 7. I guess he said their number was 2-5344 and my mother insisted he was wrong. "It's DRAKE 2-5344." He wasn't amused and stuck a pencil in her head.
Yup, strange dreams and memories.
More to come.
Post script: My older sister told me that when my mother was a kid they didn't have a prefix to the telephone number, but there was a suffix, for example 5344-R. My Uncle Edward had left out the 'dash' when telling my mother of the number. It was my mother's insistence and attention to detail that called him wrong, thus the poke in the head. [Thanks Donna]
No comments:
Post a Comment