The not so fun process

Sorry to overload the blog the last 2 days but there were some things on my mind and also promised some people that we would post one about the process of me getting my chemo - kept procrastinating and thought I would before my next treatment.  Sorry this is going to be a long post just with the pictures and all - I understand if it's boring.. it's no better in my shoes in that position.  Heck, just as I sit here, thinking of it my throat feels a little tight.  Here we go... (thanks for Sarah for being at every one of my treatments to keep me emotionally strong, help pass the time, and be my photographer)

So first either the day before or a half hour early I need to get my blood drawn so that they can check all of my counts.  This is to monitor how my body is recovering since it beats up my immune system and to figure out how much of the drugs to give me (see the post below about my AST liver enzyme for an example).  Then we meet with the doctor to review everything and just to give him a little update on how things are going.  Once we are done with him they bring me into the infusion room (which is 6 stations like this with a little tv with limited channels - or you can watch a DVD).  As the doctor puts in the orders for the recipe of my "cocktail" the nurses prep me and give me the meds for anti-nausea, Tylenol to reduce fever (side effect of one of the drugs), and some other drug that I never remember what its for).  So here I sit in my little chemo recliner.  Not the most comfortable but at least it reclines.

This is a picture of the table prepped with the stuff to get my port all hooked up.

Then Norma, my nurse (I really like the nurses there, they are so nice, but yet I really dont like them because they make me think of chemo) uses my chest as a canvas to paint on a bunch of sanitizer stuff to make sure that the area where my starboard is is nice and clean for access.

Once she is ready she draws up some saline into the syringe because after accessing my starboard she needs to make sure she gets a blood return (meaning that everything is flowing good both ways) and then flushes it out with some saline.  This is when I can start to taste the saline which is nasty because it makes me taste over medicated - I now try to have hard candy to suck on.

This is Norma - and that is the needle/access for my starboard.

It's just one quick poke, but the needle is huge and looks intimidating.  You can call me a pansy because from the look on my face it seems like it would be horrible.  It really isn't and every time I say "oh that wasn't bad at all", but seeing that thing coming toward me just isn't fun.  If you think it looks like her finger is in the way, it is :-).  Right before poking me she has to feel my port because there are 3 little dots on it that are used for her to be able to tell how the access needle needs to be inserted.

See that wasn't so bad!  This is where she is making sure that she is getting a blood return.

Then I get all taped up to make sure that the tubes for the IV dont pull on it and it doesn't move or anything. 

The first 3 drugs are pushed in through the IV.  The last one goes in through a saline drip and takes just over an hour to drip, drip, drip all the way in.  On this particular day I wasn't in the mood for a movie and there was nothing on ESPN so I just turned on some music and rested a little.

Then when I'm all done the machine beeps and they either come, or normally I'm so ready to be out of there, that I say "Nurse, my timer went off!"  Then they come, make sure I'm feeling ok, take off the tape, and send me on my way.  Even though they had to shave my chest for the port, its growing back and never fun - hence the red skin.

And then this is just another shot of what it looks like in relation to the rest of me.

After all of this I typically go to the bathroom yet again and then I'm happy to leave.  Always nice to the nurses since they are so nice to us - but I'm honest.  I like seeing them but I'd rather not.

Keep praying!