The first day of chemo has gone well. I am catching up on emails before going to bed....
Arrived at Gloucester House at 9.00 am and was briefed by one of the nurses around 9.15 am. The pharmacy had not prepared my chemos and other items and so I had time to fill in. Went and had some fruit and a tea at the cafeteria. Returned to the waiting room and did most of the puzzles in the Daily Telegraph there.
My treatment actually started after midday. Two different chemos and other items were distributed until 6.40 pm. The first chemo took about 2 hours as did the second chemo. Next time the second chemo will only take one hour and after that a half hour. It is pretty potent and so initial doses are more slowly given. The treatment started with a tablet designed to stop nausea and then a liquid also designed to stop nausea.
During the day I read my Chartered Magazine, information on the chemo, finished your Christmas book of Australian essays and began Soul Stories. I am sure that Monday 18 will also be a long day as I will need to take a blood test, see the doctor and wait for the chemo to be made up.
I left with my third chemo in a bottle in my jeans pocket and attached to my port-o-cath via a tube. On the tube is this mini pump device that is taped to my stomach. The warmth of my stomach makes it work. I will go back to the hospital Wednesday afternoon to have it removed.
On each of Tuesday and Wednesday I will take one of these anti-nausea tablets and I have other tablets to help with that too.
So far John Tully’s prayer of minimising the bad effects and maximising the good effects seems to be occurring.
David,
ReplyDeletePete and Ken have just told me your news. I thought I had it bad a few months ago when I suffered a hernia. I was getting up on stage to give a talk when I felt this burning sensation and felt as it my insides were going outside. I gave the talk with my hand in my pocket keeping my insides inside. Luckily it was a serious talk so no one laughed. Least of all me. Some one told me having a hernia repaired is like having a pineapple stuffed down your trousers. I cannot image what you are going through but my heart feels for you.
You should feel a burst of positive energy hit you any minute...
Michael Morgan
It sounds as though modern medicine is working better with the anti-nausea side of things, as that is the worst side effect I'm aware of. So far, so good I guess although it is early days. With my various comparatively minor medical issues, it is the tedium/boredom of waiting, making appointments, trying to make sense of information, keeping up with the paper work etc that is so aggravating. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteDavid, thanks for keeping us posted. Diana, Luke, Erin and I are all praying for uncle David. We love you, we expect the best for you and we look forward to seeing you at BB.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you benefited from Brien's advice to live life to the full ... I've always tried to remind myself of Breaker Morant's supposed line "live as if every day is your last, because one day you will surely be right".
Meantime, you have a lot of friends who will continue to pray for you.
Simon