Chemo Has Started!

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I am getting tired of incompetence.  I don’t want to always find and write about the negative but it seems pervasive in my life right now.

I called Monday to get my new chemo schedule for Tuesday.  So I got the schedule, 11:45 lab and 1:30 treatment.  I repeated it back and confirmed it, then I asked if they would have the others days for me when I came in and they said they would.

They called Tuesday about 9:30 and asked where we were, that we had an 8:30 appointment. I said no, I was given 11:45.  Of course, we went round and round.  They said that schedule was for next Tuesday.  I asked why would they give me next weeks schedule when I asked about today.  Well, they said, you must have misunderstood and if you can't get in soon then we won't be able to treat you today.  

My blood pressure is already way too high, so you can imagine where it is now.

I asked about lab and they said I didn’t need it.

I hustled Glenda from her work calls and we got there at 11:50  

I checked in and they said that I did need blood work before hand since this is my first treatment, but that they could do it back in the chemo dept.  I didn't even attempt to complain about the disorganization. 

I sat for about 10 minutes before they called me back.  They sat me down and got my chart.

"This is your first time for chemo?  We were told that you already had ...You need lab work before we can start"  They all looked pissed because lab work takes about an hour and they have another department that handles the blood work.  Hey!  Not my fault you can't get it together.

I hunkered down and read till they drew blood and hooked up my IV.  In an hour or so, they started the 15 minutes of premeds for nausea.  The chemo agent was adriamycin.  It was bright red and was given as a 15 minute push into the IV line.  They said my urine would probably turn red but not worry unless it lasted more than a day or two.  They flushed my lines, unhooked me and sent me on my way.  Not horrible, no immediate reaction, so I am good.

When I got home, I got to take my first shower in 6 days.  I got to peel off the chest tube dressing and get a look at my new battle wound.  Not bad but not good I guess.

I also started my oral chemo at dinner.  I did not have a good night.  A lot of pain, and could not sleep.

Chemo Day 2

Since the Oncologist's office closes early today, and the chemotherapy was going to take about 7 hours, I was scheduled to get it at Seton Central out patient. Check in was 12:30.

I was having some lower chest pain with inhalation before we left so I thought it might not be a bad idea to get another chest film in case it was related to the lung.  I had Glenda call the CV surgeons office to see if we could coincide the two.  They said no problem, they would coordinate it with the floor nurse.  Boy did we open up a can of worms.  They called back shortly and said we had to report to the ER and get cleared before out-patient would accept us.  Oh great!  This just got very complicated.  

We get to the ER and they do an EKG on the heart and shoot a couple of chest films.  Heart looks good other than high blood pressure.  I guess the left lung has still not fully inflated so the radiologist noted a pneumthorax on the left lung.  The ER doctor came and in said I had a deflated lung and I would have to get transferred to another room to get another chest tube.  They were not sure about chemo and would have to find the on call oncologists to see if we could still do chemo today.  

We are like, what?  Slow down.  Did you talk to the CV surgeons office or compare the films to last ones?

They said they would make some calls and get back to us.

They sweated us a bit and finally came back and said they got a hold of everyone and that they would go ahead and release us, but we would need to follow up with the CV surgeons office next week. 

Whew, Ok we can do that. They made we sign a release that I had a pneumothorax and that they recommended a chest tube and said we are free to go. 

We finally get to the chemo room and the floor nurse comes in and asks if I know that I have a pneumothorax?  I explain everything to her but her response is that they just administer chemo here and someone would have to OK treament.   I said ER talked to everyone and that they cleared us to come up.  Of course we went back and forth as I started to get hot again.  Well of course she has not heard that and will make some calls.  I am hold again.  We are already a couple hours past our scheduled start time.  Of course it finally gets worked out.

So here I am, sitting in a hospital room, 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, documenting todays fun.  I am about to start the chemo.  I have had two hours of pre hydration and the anti nausea meds.

I am thinking of Glenda, who is currently out trying to take care of my needs as well as trying to make this some kind of Christmas for the kids.   She not only has to deal with her job responsibilities and her own frustrations with everything that is going on with me.  She has to deal with with all my emotions and moods.  I think that since my energy level is so high, and I am in constant pain, that I am even more demanding and short than usual.  I want things done right and I am hypervigilant.  If anything good comes out of this, maybe I will become less anal.  Bless her, she is stressed.  So many details, so much going on.  Please send her some love and appreciation. 

They finish up the chemo and post hydration and we walk out of Seton about 10:30 on Christmas Eve.

Glenda and I wish everyone a very Happy Christmas!  Please know how much all of you mean to us.  We Love You!