I'm IN!
Soon to be hooked up to large doses of toxic cancer fighting chemicals for the next 96 hours. All done inpatient. So a nice 5 day stay in the MD Anderson hospital with great staff. Went through most of the results with my team today. The good - blood and organs are doing great, I look healthy, have lots of energy and a great attitude. The bad - the biggest lesion on the skull is right on the area where your brain does vision which is center back of the head which accounts for the double vision and they have to get at that fast. More chemicals are needed for brain issues.
As we always say - not another problem but an opportunity for me to clearly demonstrate my cancer fighting abilities. Yay.
So today is treatment Day 1 - an important day since all the other days of treatment key off of this. I will be getting chemo treatment #1 (of a total of 6) over the next 5 days. During the next week I come back once a week for a blood work and spinal tap when they will slip also slip a little methotrexate into the spinal column to keep out the nasties from that critical area.. Blood work will determine if the platelets start coming back. Any delay in platelets delays the treatment - so they gotta come up.
I get another opportunity to excel on day 11 when I come back into the hospital for three days of methotrexate. Turns out the brain has some great shit up there to keep out poisons and such - but it might keep out the chemo. So we throw in a little methotrexate in mix to get the brain right.
Between chemos there are like 5 drugs we have to pick up to get through to the next chemo.
Just a tad overwhelming - BUT - we caught it in time, we have the right time, they have the right cocktail and it is now just getting from here to there. Something we are good at.
So checked into the room. Need an echocardiogram before they start pumping the rituxan in for the next few hours. Won't get much sleep tonight as they have to keep checking to make sure I don't die. Like all the time. More yay!!
Screw it - ordered a burger and fries because I am down to 179 and my sodium is one of the only things that was too low. I haven't weighed 179 since the Navy days.
Day 1! It's almost in the books.
Here is what we bring to the hospital for a 5 night 6 day R-EPOCH treatment - once again, I came back and wrote this after Chemo #3 because we have it down now.
As we always say - not another problem but an opportunity for me to clearly demonstrate my cancer fighting abilities. Yay.
So today is treatment Day 1 - an important day since all the other days of treatment key off of this. I will be getting chemo treatment #1 (of a total of 6) over the next 5 days. During the next week I come back once a week for a blood work and spinal tap when they will slip also slip a little methotrexate into the spinal column to keep out the nasties from that critical area.. Blood work will determine if the platelets start coming back. Any delay in platelets delays the treatment - so they gotta come up.
I get another opportunity to excel on day 11 when I come back into the hospital for three days of methotrexate. Turns out the brain has some great shit up there to keep out poisons and such - but it might keep out the chemo. So we throw in a little methotrexate in mix to get the brain right.
Between chemos there are like 5 drugs we have to pick up to get through to the next chemo.
Just a tad overwhelming - BUT - we caught it in time, we have the right time, they have the right cocktail and it is now just getting from here to there. Something we are good at.
So checked into the room. Need an echocardiogram before they start pumping the rituxan in for the next few hours. Won't get much sleep tonight as they have to keep checking to make sure I don't die. Like all the time. More yay!!
Screw it - ordered a burger and fries because I am down to 179 and my sodium is one of the only things that was too low. I haven't weighed 179 since the Navy days.
Day 1! It's almost in the books.
Here is what we bring to the hospital for a 5 night 6 day R-EPOCH treatment - once again, I came back and wrote this after Chemo #3 because we have it down now.
- Clothes - loose but good - you don't want to wear the hospital gown and you don't have to. Just make sure the put the lines to your port through the inside of your shirt so you can take your shirt off to shower. I wear sweats, workout shorts and workout shirts.
- PICC line covers - bought on Amazon - look and feel good and protect the lines
- PICC line shower cover this works great - wore out half way through but better than putting saran wrap on and waiting for a nurse to do it.
- Walking shoes - and socks - and a way to track how far you go (just use map my walk)
- Toiletries - bring a good liquid soap with moisturizers, get baking soda toothpaste for mouth sores, electric razor, good moisturizer to apply every day and a face/bald head moisturizer as well
- Don't bring any of your meds - the nurses hate that - they have all your meds. I do sneak in Senecot because I hate drinking their laxative when nauseous and I know senecot works
- Blanket - they never have a good one
- Bigger water cup - they only give you small ones - I bring a Teva cup so I can drink more
- Notebook - keep a daily log of what happens - you forget what happens during each phase and this really helps so you can remember when nausea hit you the previous go round
- Pen, books, puzzles - anything to keep busy
- Computer - the TV stinks you need Amazon or Netflix or something to keep busy
- Ginger stuff - chews, ginger ale anything to help with the nausea
- Mini speaker - love having this for tunes in my room - bluetooth
- Ear buds - for when I walk - it's boring walking the halls so these help
- Fitbit - so I track how far I walk each day
- Exercise band -to get some arm work in each day
- I do sit-ups on the couch - but if that doesn't work, maybe a yoga mat
- Tennis ball - my grip started getting weak so I bring one to exercise my grip daily
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