9/16/24: The Holiday You Don't Want: Chemo-Day

I thought it might be interesting to go through what a typical day of chemotherapy is like for me.  Then I realized it's not interesting at all, but I had already did all this typing, so it is anyway.

My chemo is on Mondays (at least so far they have been), but all chemo sessions start with blood test to make sure the body is ready for the poison infusion.  So I get to go to the lab on the weekend to give some blood to the phlebotomist for testing.  I have given so many vials of blood over the last few months to know the staff by name.

In chemo treatment each day is given a number.  So Monday is Day One. 

The rest of Sunday I have to get my "go bag" ready for the next day.  Battery packs, tablet loaded with entertainment,  and anything else I might feel as I need.  Cindy packs her work stuff along with some snacks to keep her occupied while the infusion is going on.

I try to eat a light breakfast and get a little caffeine to increase my mood and energy.  Usually about 45minutes before the appointment time we head to the hospital.  After parking we head to the 4th floor infusion center.

The staff in the infusion center is great.  They usually have my info up and ready before I get there so check-in is a breeze.  The nurse takes my vitals and gets us to a room.  At Kaiser Zion the infusion rooms are private.  There is just a reclining chair and a less comfortable separate chair for Cindy.

We then meet the chemo nurse for the day and go over my medical record and the plans for the day.  The chemo nurse then gets the IV setup in whatever arm they can get the best vein.  Its the most uncomfortable part of the day.  Once the site is ready, the infusions start.  My total time is one of the longer ones as far as I can tell.  It last 4-5 hours.

I am able to get up and walk around, and I try to do so every hour or so, just to say sane.  The nurse is in and out making sure Cindy and I are doing ok.  They have to change the infusion bag several times as well.

Once the last bag is done the nurse removes the IV and we are free to go.  We usually are pretty hungry as its early afternoon.  I have found that I am good to eat almost everything as my side effects that day are pretty mild.  So we eat.

By the end of the day I'm usually pretty worn out so I don't plan much, so I try to get to bed early.

Day Two starts with my biggest issue.  One of the side effects of my chemo is uncontrollable hiccups.  They typically last about 24 hours and are more of an annoyance than anything.  I do take anti-nausea drugs and they seem to be working well so far (knock on wood).  The hiccups usually get more manageable around dinnertime.

Day Three things get back to normal.  I still take the nausea meds that day, but other than maybe needing a nap the Wednesday after Chemo is pretty normal.

That all repeats on the following Monday, Day Eight.  More labs, infusion, hiccups.

My treatment is 2 weeks on then 1 week off.  I really look forward to that week without the infusion.  It's nice to not have to go in for treatment and it gives my body a chance to recover.

That's about it.  Sorry.  I thought this post would be more interesting, but its pretty boring.  But its my life for the last few months.  And it is going to be my life for the foreseeable future.  Don't feel sorry for me-every day is a blessing.  Feel sorry for Cindy for having to put up with me-I'm quite a handful.