No more sitting around waiting, it's on, round 1. The nurse comes over with a tray and starts to load up the automated pump that I have been receiving my additional hydration through. She hooks up an ominous bag of clear fluid and checks that my line is clear and ready to accept the first 2 hours worth, all hooked up it begins. I'm glad Bethan is here, I've got this weird apprehension about it all, but as it starts to go in... nothing, can't feel a thing, oh wait, there's the very faintest sensation of tiredness but it's difficult to besure, I go with it and doze off. Maybe I was super worn out anyway, perhaps falling asleep is just what I've been doing most of the time this week when someone comes along and tips another chemical into me and that's what my body now expects, not sure. Bethan is sat at the bottom of the bed, I apologise for nodding off, "don't worry" she said, "you've only been asleep for about 20 minuites." I feel fine still as the nurse hooks up another bag of different stuff for another 3 hour round, and off we go again.
We say goodbye and Bethan heads off home as I begin another round of hydration to help me process the day's chemo drugs I've just been given. This will run through the night and into the next day.
Some good news comes our way, we are asked if I'd like trial one of the new mobile chemo pumps. This will allow me to get the last third of my treatment at home each time limiting the time I'll have to spend in hospital each cycle. This will also mean I might be going home tomorrow rather than on Wednesday. They plan to give me a demo of how the pump works in the
morning.
It's almost midnight on Thursday night as I write this, I'm tired and looking forward to getting some rest. I just hope that the side effects stay away for as long as possible.
Great news about the mobile pump, we are thinking of you everyday, you just know you will get a book deal from this blog! Your character and strength is amazing, lots of love from us x
ReplyDeleteWeird, I wasn't expecting Chemo to be like that. I had an image in my head of you on a gurney being zapped with a massive Bond villain style ray gun. I've ordered the David Soul wig set by the way. Peace, love and positive thoughts to the McQueen Family unit.
ReplyDeleteJammer, not yet mate, that's the radio therapy your thinking of there. The chemo is simply a ridiculously toxic cocktail that they dump into your blood stream and it sets about killing and fast growing cells in your body, ie hair folilcals, the lining your mouth and gut, and any of course cancer cells. The radio therapy is concentrated micro waves that burn away the tomour site and eliminating the cancer cells while trying to limit the damage to surrounding tissue. That will involve laying on a large table and being shot with laser beams from a large machine, word on he street is that it sucks! C
ReplyDelete