Miracles and Wonders
Surviving chemo, Part I - The treatment
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
I was also fortunate to have my husband at every session. There were some smaller
guest chairs wedged into the space next to each recliner. It helped so much to have
someone who could easily go to the nurse's station and ask questions for me. Or have
someone to unplug the IV pump from the wall so that I could just get up and wheel
myself to the bathroom. My husband would prepare for each chemo session by
packing the essentials --- a notebook with paper and pen for taking notes, lots of
reading material, and plenty of snacks. I know he felt like he was packing for a
weekend, but it so helped to have everything handy. And speaking of snacks this was
another good distraction - eating! I always got really hungry during chemo (OK, ok,
before and after chemo too, but that's another story). Chuck, packed a small picnic
cooler filled with sandwiches, fruit, chips, fruit juice, water, nuts, and anything else we
had on hand. He tried to pack more that I could possibly need, but I always ate it all. I
think it was the steroids making me hungry, or maybe the nervousness, or the thought
that I might be nauseous later. No really ... it was the meds ... not my fault ... nope ...
the meds ... OK, move along nothing else to read here.
Seriously. I only suffered nausea for a couple days after my first session, otherwise I
was ravenously hungry. I was required to take steroid pills 12 hours and 6 hours prior
to my treatment, and I got more IV steroids in my pre-meds, and one of the side effects
of this type of steroids is an increase in appetite. I was constantly hungry so snacks
were definitely a must for me. If I wasn’t napping or reading or observing fellow
chemo patients, I was eating. My body seemed to always be in need of something. I
know my poor husband had his hands full as he attended to all my needs, but it helped
to have a kind caring hand while endured the pain and discomfort.
Another odd side effect was that right after the IV started I would get really cold.
Apparently, this is a fairly common reaction because they had a big supply of warmed
blankets available and a volunteer would stop by every ten minutes or so and ask if you
needed a blanket or a drink. I usually asked for a pillow and blanket as soon as I sat
down so that I could get comfortable right away. The nurse's told me that one of the
pre-meds, I think it was the benadryl, gives you a rush of energy that made you feel
supercharged, but I never got that one. Anxiety, chills, drowsiness - sure, I got 'em all,
but a big rush of energy - not so much.
At best, the time spent during the administering of chemo was boring, at worse it was
uncomfortable and achy and at times very painful. The worse would be when the IV
pump would detect a blockage and start beeping for assistance. The nurse would come
over and try various things to get it running again including using a great big syringe to
flush out the IV. This would be done by inserting a needle into the IV tube near by
hand (or wherever it was attached to me) and using pressure to blow out the
obstruction. That doesn't sound too bad, but when the IV was in the back of my hand
it literally felt like someone had hit my hand with a hammer. And she had to do it three
times to clear the blockage. That was the most painful of my 7 treatments ---BUT I
SURVIVED IT! During another chemo session there was a malfunction in the
machine so that it was beeping for a nurse every 15 minutes or less. The entire session
was spent with the nurses adjusting the IV and tubing. By the end of the day they just
disconnected the machine and let the IV feed in by gravity alone. It was annoying and
frustrating ---- BUT I SURVIVED IT! And at another treatment after leaving the
chemo room, I felt a warm wet sensation from the bandaged IV area. I looked down to
see my bandage soaked with blood and dripping down my arm. This wasn’t painful but
frightening. I rushed back to the chemo room and the nurse cleaned and rebandaged
my arm. The IV area hadn’t been compressed long enough so that it hadn’t clotted
sufficiently which apparently is a fairly common problem but it scared the stuffings out
of me --- BUT AGAIN I SURVIVED IT! I amazed myself with how much I could
withstand. I found chemo to be a test of my patience, strength, and faith, but if I
could get through it, anyone can. My sincerest wish, and the reason for writing this, is
that my experiences might serve to motivate and encourage others who have to do
chemo treatments. Be brave and persistent and faithful that with God’s help you can
make it through this ... just like I did.
guest chairs wedged into the space next to each recliner. It helped so much to have
someone who could easily go to the nurse's station and ask questions for me. Or have
someone to unplug the IV pump from the wall so that I could just get up and wheel
myself to the bathroom. My husband would prepare for each chemo session by
packing the essentials --- a notebook with paper and pen for taking notes, lots of
reading material, and plenty of snacks. I know he felt like he was packing for a
weekend, but it so helped to have everything handy. And speaking of snacks this was
another good distraction - eating! I always got really hungry during chemo (OK, ok,
before and after chemo too, but that's another story). Chuck, packed a small picnic
cooler filled with sandwiches, fruit, chips, fruit juice, water, nuts, and anything else we
had on hand. He tried to pack more that I could possibly need, but I always ate it all. I
think it was the steroids making me hungry, or maybe the nervousness, or the thought
that I might be nauseous later. No really ... it was the meds ... not my fault ... nope ...
the meds ... OK, move along nothing else to read here.
Seriously. I only suffered nausea for a couple days after my first session, otherwise I
was ravenously hungry. I was required to take steroid pills 12 hours and 6 hours prior
to my treatment, and I got more IV steroids in my pre-meds, and one of the side effects
of this type of steroids is an increase in appetite. I was constantly hungry so snacks
were definitely a must for me. If I wasn’t napping or reading or observing fellow
chemo patients, I was eating. My body seemed to always be in need of something. I
know my poor husband had his hands full as he attended to all my needs, but it helped
to have a kind caring hand while endured the pain and discomfort.
Another odd side effect was that right after the IV started I would get really cold.
Apparently, this is a fairly common reaction because they had a big supply of warmed
blankets available and a volunteer would stop by every ten minutes or so and ask if you
needed a blanket or a drink. I usually asked for a pillow and blanket as soon as I sat
down so that I could get comfortable right away. The nurse's told me that one of the
pre-meds, I think it was the benadryl, gives you a rush of energy that made you feel
supercharged, but I never got that one. Anxiety, chills, drowsiness - sure, I got 'em all,
but a big rush of energy - not so much.
At best, the time spent during the administering of chemo was boring, at worse it was
uncomfortable and achy and at times very painful. The worse would be when the IV
pump would detect a blockage and start beeping for assistance. The nurse would come
over and try various things to get it running again including using a great big syringe to
flush out the IV. This would be done by inserting a needle into the IV tube near by
hand (or wherever it was attached to me) and using pressure to blow out the
obstruction. That doesn't sound too bad, but when the IV was in the back of my hand
it literally felt like someone had hit my hand with a hammer. And she had to do it three
times to clear the blockage. That was the most painful of my 7 treatments ---BUT I
SURVIVED IT! During another chemo session there was a malfunction in the
machine so that it was beeping for a nurse every 15 minutes or less. The entire session
was spent with the nurses adjusting the IV and tubing. By the end of the day they just
disconnected the machine and let the IV feed in by gravity alone. It was annoying and
frustrating ---- BUT I SURVIVED IT! And at another treatment after leaving the
chemo room, I felt a warm wet sensation from the bandaged IV area. I looked down to
see my bandage soaked with blood and dripping down my arm. This wasn’t painful but
frightening. I rushed back to the chemo room and the nurse cleaned and rebandaged
my arm. The IV area hadn’t been compressed long enough so that it hadn’t clotted
sufficiently which apparently is a fairly common problem but it scared the stuffings out
of me --- BUT AGAIN I SURVIVED IT! I amazed myself with how much I could
withstand. I found chemo to be a test of my patience, strength, and faith, but if I
could get through it, anyone can. My sincerest wish, and the reason for writing this, is
that my experiences might serve to motivate and encourage others who have to do
chemo treatments. Be brave and persistent and faithful that with God’s help you can
make it through this ... just like I did.