Fighting Cancer - My Journey: infusion

Showing posts with label infusion. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

It's June and 55 degrees F ???

It must be because the Bruins are still playing hockey and tonight is game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final Playoffs!

We've had a few stretches of hot and hazy weather, but it's nice to get a break from the heat every now and then. I can recall when I was starting chemo three years ago and the wicked heat we had. I used to wear long sleeves and cover with a blanket during my infusions. Those chemo meds
work well, but the side effects included neuropathy and feeling cold very easily.

At any rate, we're hoping for a Bruins victory tonight and then looking
at a warm summer season....eventually! For those of you who are going through chemo right now, may God bless you as He has blessed me!!!

Edited to add - The BRUINS won!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

2nd to last day of treatment :o)

I had my second to last treatment today and then they connected the portable infusion pump that I'm wearing for the last and final time!

It's so nice to be finishing my chemo rounds on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow when I go in, I'll be taking cards and gifts for the wonderful and professional staff that have been caring for me these past six months.

It's so hard to believe that it's finally going to be over, but it also seems like it didn't start all that long ago either. I'm feeling a lot more fatigue with this final round, but keeping in mind that it IS my final round.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Starting 9th Cycle

I'll start my 9th cycle (of 12) tomorrow. This is a HUGE milestone for me and if at the beginning anyone had told me that I'd be feeling this good after 4 months of chemo, I never would have believed them!!!

Yeah, there are days that are not very comfortable, but all in all, you learn how to deal with it and get over it. I'm just now starting to see that light at the end of the tunnel and can't wait to have this mediport implant taken out of me and not having to drag a portable infusion pump around. But, I won't get ahead of myself, I still just think positive and go one step at a time and deal with whatever issues I'm facing and keep movin' on.

So with 2/3 of my treatment down, I begin the final 1/3 and last 4 cycles tomorrow and I thank all of you for your support and I sincerely hope that this blog will help anyone else who finds themselves with a similiar diagnosis. It is treatable and beatable !

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Smooth sailing again...

I had my second treatment today of cycle 3 and all went well. My oncologist asked me if I've noticed my face being red (as it was today) and I told him that it always seemed to have a "sunburned" look for the first few days after the Oxaliplatin. He said that we'll just keep an eye on it.

While there in the infusion room, I met another guy about my age who is finishing his 12th cycle this week. He was also a stage III colon cancer patient. He is so happy to have made it and told me that week 10-12 were "very trying" but he could see the light at the end of the tunnel and he strived to make the last 3 cycles and finally made it. He said that the neuropathy was pretty intense in his feet, but not so much his fingers. I wished him well. He finished his treatment before mine and left. It was good to have someone to talk to that I could relate to for a short time today while being infused.

It's not a big deal though, I read or listen to mp3's, or sometimes just close my eyes and rest. It is an extremely busy clinic, but all of the doctors and nurses are very good to work with and offer advice and answer any questions that anyone has.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Began 2nd (of 12) cycles today

Today was a pretty good day. My oncologist thinks that I'm doing well so far (at least he told me that). The pathology indicated that white and red blood cell counts and platelets were good.

One of the oncology nurses stabbed me with "the needle" into my mediport. The lidocaine/prilocaine mix didn't seem to help with that pain :(

She then told me that it was because I had tissue behind where the port was located and that some people don't have and they don't feel a thing. I'm not sure if I buy that, but still feel that the mediport is the way to go for anyone going through chemotherapy.

I got the anti-nausea meds first, then Oxal/LV, a short infusion of 5-FU, then was hooked up to the pump filled with 5-FU.

The nurse covered the port dressing with a big chunk of a very sticky bandage. I made it as far as the first floor, before I had to go into the restroom and use some cold water to peel back one of the sides that was pinching the hair on my chest with every little move that I made.

I got home and started to nap, then my good friend, brother-in-law and former bandmate stopped by to let me borrow his copy of Clapton's Autobiography which his daughter had got for him. (Thanks Ed and Kelly!)

Lots of family birthdays this week too. Happy Birthday to my Father, and Tom, my brother-in-law, and especially to my wife, Anne.

Fighting Cancer - My Journey