Good Day, Angels. As a quick reminder, if you are receiving this email you are one of the many angels that I believe have been placed in my life for the benefit of all of us. I just wanted to share that again.
I'm still a little tired, from lack of sleep, but I thought I'd send a recap of my first experience with chemotherapy. The pain in my chest just kept me up last night and I got about 3½ hours of sleep. It isn't the first time I've had to make do on little sleep, and so it wasn't unfamiliar territory. Tonight, after a two-hour nap, I'm still feeling what I would call exceptionally normal, especially considering the ordeal of getting more than a handful of bags of chemicals put in my body. More on that in a minute.
The treatment room was more like a huge 'salon', with 16 or 18 recliners spaced respectfully apart. Each of about ten of us was assigned a nurse for the length of their treatment and the one assigned to me, Hailey, was a genuine dear. (as were they all, actually) Dr. Blakely was said to be pretty busy, so she had an assistant, Sarah (who is an NP) see me and do a quick physical and respond to some of my questions and tell me about the lab info from the blood draw that they had taken shortly before. I was good to go.
Then, as Hailey was preparing to hook me up to the first chemical (one that takes the calcium out of the blood and puts it into the bones) she gave me a couple of information sheets about the drug. Shortly after the explanation, she went away (to get the bag, I thought) and came back with new sheets. It seems that BCBS of TN denied the first drug (which it turned out would have been administered by injection) but prefers a second one, which actually does the same thing and is administered via the drip technique. We still had to wait for a short while for them to put their okay on it, even though they were the ones that had the preference for it. Insurance companies.....sheesh. After sitting there for about a half-hour or so, Hailey came back, explained the new info sheets and hooked up a bag with the preferred chemical. "NOW we're moving", I thought almost out loud.
When Hailey hooked me up, it was to an actual machine that pumps exactly the desired amount calculated to work on me and takes exactly the amount of time they want it to. Very precision. No more using little plastic gateway clips to approximate this procedure. I was duly impressed and asked a few questions. I also mentioned that the pain in my chest had kept me up most of the night and that I had brought some Tylenol with me unless they preferred to give me some from their supplies. She said she'd check on it with the doctor.
The chemical took about 1/2 hour, which would take me to about a half-hour before I had scheduled my Tylenol. I keep a little log book for safety's sake. After the machine alerted her that it was done, she started a one-hour bag of an immunotherapy boosting drug. I'm learning a lot as we move forward; I read the literature and ask questions. At about 10 am I told her I was now feeling the pain enough to remind me of my regular dose of Tylenol, so she came back in a couple of minutes, flushed the portacath line with saline for a minute, and then administered some pain killer. I'm familiar with Dilaudid, from my pancreatitis attack in 2011, so I expected instant relief and euphoria, but it must have been a very small dose. It worked as good as Tylenol, though, so all was normal in my world. Some things one just doesn't have any control over. I'm cool with that.
The next four bags followed an injection in my abdomen. (the literature had said 'stomach', which painted an unpleasant picture in my mind) Fortunately, it stung for a moment and that was it. The drug was an anti-nausea medication that lasts up to five days. I'll be the judge of that. The next four bags started with a combination of a steroid and an antihistamine, as I recall. They made sure I had a driver since the antihistamine can cause drowsiness. While my brother Steve lives with me, that's not a problem and they have his number. He's also listed as my emergency contact.
After that bag was emptied, I had the 3 bags which comprised the 'chemo cocktail', as I call it. They are all chosen to chase down any errant cancer cells no matter where in the body they may have migrated to. I'm also told they will shortly take care of the pain and discomfort. Again, I'll be the judge. I'm not being cynical here, but each of our bodies is unique. I'm hopeful, as usual, since that leaning seems to be embedded in my makeup. There's a trust I can't explain, and I think it's born of Gratitude.
All through the six-hour session, I would see doctor Blakely (Laura Johnetta Blakely, known as L. Johnetta or just Johnetta) come in with other patients who were scheduled for treatment. (mine was a longer session than most, and stations were left vacant after only an hour or two mostly) I'd always look up, and after she had directed them to their spot and she was leaving she would smile at me with sparkling eyes and ask how I was doing. I would respond in an upbeat way, and even ask her how she was doing, to which she'd reply, "Livin' the Dream", and keep walking. She's not as "pretty" as many of the other doctors and nurses, but she's very attractive to me in a tomboyish kinda way. So, this thought entered my mind that since doctors have to avoid getting attached to patients who might end up dying on them, she turned me over to Sarah because she's falling for me. Ever since I saw her one Friday late, dressed in blue jeans, I've probably been sending unseen but palpable signals, I guessed, and I must have started some sort of synergy.
Now, after you've had your laugh (my intent), know this: I'm a singer/songwriter/musician/
Even though my sense of humor is intact, and I have enough energy to sit down and write a long missive-type email, I'm not pumped up the way they predicted I would be from the steroid. (dexamethasone) In fact, they predict that on Day 3 (Saturday) I will crash off the steroid and not wanna get out of bed. I guess we'll see. Heck, I'm on for the ride, right?
If you actually took the time to read this entire update, thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to both share, as I've promised I would, and work on my writing skills. I still have two books on the back-burner.
I am grateful for all the emails I get reminding me of the prayers, love, light, positive energy, support, and compassion that's being sent my way on a regular basis. Quite a number have gone so far as to say that my strength impresses and even moves them to emulate this in their daily lives and life struggles. I couldn't be more honored and glad.
Stay happy and be well,
Ken
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