Kicking with the Roids
Ster - not Hem - the steroids started last night with the first round of chemo - the Rituxan. For some weird reason the Rituxan makes me feel like I have had 16 shots of espresso. So I basically sit there for 2 hours bouncing my legs up and down until the ride is over. They think it will get better as I get used to it. Since the Rituxan is a part of both the big and little chemo battles, I hope so.
Dr. Lee calls it the Rituxan roller coaster - you sometimes don't know how it will affect you. But it does give you the shakes. Remember the first shakes I got were the kind of massive feeling cold shakes. But now -just the hyper crawl out of your skin kind. Progress! And the body will adapt. Dr. Lee is pretty funny - he says there are some variations to the batches too - like a gumbo - it's never quite the same.
The hospital if full again. I guess my cancer is bad enough I get to the top of the list to stay on track with timing. So you get your blood work, get cleared for admission then go wait for a bed. I brought lots of snacks this time to get through the 3 hour wait for a room. Got my room. Then the 3 hours of waiting for the mixologist down in pharmacy and then finally started on the chemo. So about 10:30 PM the drugs showed up. That means a long night of beeping.
The beeping. So annoying. When the fucker pumps run out of drugs, or there is an air pocket or they just think I am resting to soundly - they beep like a garbage truck backing up outside your hotel room at 4 in the morning. Since the Rituxan is only about a 3 hour bag - it was done at 2:00 or so. Since just starting chemo they have to check vitals every 15 minutes during that wonderful three hours. Which is fine because I was running in place in my bed not really sleeping anyway. At 3:00 I get hooked up to the big batch. And finally get some rest.
New shift comes it at 7:00 am to say hi! Yay - HI!
So off for my walk to earn a Starbucks. And I seriously should get an award today for not strangling the Starbucks lady who for the 6th consecutive day when I order a grande dark coffee goes to pour me that maxwell house tasting crap pikes peak swill. No mam - DARK. Have you met the fucker who keeps me up at night. I need the DARK.
But you know what. I don't care. We are winning!! I will get a nap. Lee and the kids are coming to visit and as I walk around this hospital I know that life for me is easier than 95% of the patients here.
So bring it - including the high fiber breakfast and prune juice to get ahead of my new arch enemy constipation.
Dr. Lee calls it the Rituxan roller coaster - you sometimes don't know how it will affect you. But it does give you the shakes. Remember the first shakes I got were the kind of massive feeling cold shakes. But now -just the hyper crawl out of your skin kind. Progress! And the body will adapt. Dr. Lee is pretty funny - he says there are some variations to the batches too - like a gumbo - it's never quite the same.
The hospital if full again. I guess my cancer is bad enough I get to the top of the list to stay on track with timing. So you get your blood work, get cleared for admission then go wait for a bed. I brought lots of snacks this time to get through the 3 hour wait for a room. Got my room. Then the 3 hours of waiting for the mixologist down in pharmacy and then finally started on the chemo. So about 10:30 PM the drugs showed up. That means a long night of beeping.
The beeping. So annoying. When the fucker pumps run out of drugs, or there is an air pocket or they just think I am resting to soundly - they beep like a garbage truck backing up outside your hotel room at 4 in the morning. Since the Rituxan is only about a 3 hour bag - it was done at 2:00 or so. Since just starting chemo they have to check vitals every 15 minutes during that wonderful three hours. Which is fine because I was running in place in my bed not really sleeping anyway. At 3:00 I get hooked up to the big batch. And finally get some rest.
New shift comes it at 7:00 am to say hi! Yay - HI!
So off for my walk to earn a Starbucks. And I seriously should get an award today for not strangling the Starbucks lady who for the 6th consecutive day when I order a grande dark coffee goes to pour me that maxwell house tasting crap pikes peak swill. No mam - DARK. Have you met the fucker who keeps me up at night. I need the DARK.
But you know what. I don't care. We are winning!! I will get a nap. Lee and the kids are coming to visit and as I walk around this hospital I know that life for me is easier than 95% of the patients here.
So bring it - including the high fiber breakfast and prune juice to get ahead of my new arch enemy constipation.
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