Moving on down the road

Photo courtesy Pixabay.com

Roslyn and I arrived for the first day of chemo this morning. We were forty-five minutes early, anxious to start. Things went well and it was a good experience, despite some rough spots during the long day. We will go back tomorrow for more fun.

After we arrived and I checked in, I was given a mixture of Tylenol and anti-nausea meds via the IV while visiting with my doctor and his staff. Many thanks go to them for going to bat for me with the insurance company, which allowed me to start treatment today. I was feeling like the process was going to drag out until next week. My doctor got on the phone and spoke to the insurance company to expedite approval of my treatment plan.

Back in the infusion room, Roslyn and I settled into a cubicle with a recliner, a chair, and a big window overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard, where we were to spend the next nine hours. The nurse started an IV of Benadryl to avoid any allergic reactions. Then, she started the immunotherapy drug. The amount to be infused is based on my height and weight. I needed almost a liter of the stuff. The staff’s approach is to start out slowly and watch for reactions. It wasn’t a long wait.

A few minutes into the IV drip, I was very short of breath and my face was flushed. This was a big worry because my planned treatment depended on using this drug. But the staff was ready and had a protocol to follow. They stopped the drip, ran some saline through the IV, and put an oxygen tube under my nose. The reaction passed quickly. After about twenty minutes, they restarted the drip at half the normal starting speed of 50 ml/hr. That did the trick. Each half hour they increased the flow a bit until by halfway through it was up to 300 ml/hr. We tried 350 but took a short pause when my lips and scalp started itching. We continued at 300 until that IV bag was empty.

After the immunotherapy drug was in, the chemo drug infusion only took 30 minutes. I had no reactions to that whatsoever. Yet.

Tomorrow afternoon after a required waiting period, I will return for another bag of chemo, talk to the doctor, and head for home. I will do it again about every four weeks through November. During this time and starting in the next few days, my immune system will be compromised significantly. I’ll have to be careful, monitoring my exposure to what I eat, touch, and breathe. I cannot afford to get sick.

Today is my sixtieth birthday. It seems oddly appropriate to start my treatment today. I am constantly amazed and so thankful for the many gifts I have so recently and continuously received: blessings of peace and comfort and mercy from our Lord; love and support from family, friends and colleagues; and outstanding medical care. I am truly the luckiest guy on the planet.