About Chemo
I've been getting chemo since July, 2018. How often I've gotten chemo depends on the chemo drug protocol; sometimes every other week, sometimes every 2 of 3 weeks. The off weeks allow me to recover and regain strength as well as improve my lab numbers.
Every time I get chemo, I also get blood work at the lab. The medical staff are looking at red and white blood cell counts, electrolytes like potassium, minerals like calcium, and liver and kidney functions. There is also something else - cancer marker levels. For me, it's CA 27-29. Each cancer has its own marker.
Sometimes, I see the doctor or the physician's assistant before chemo. They may want to discuss lab results or ask how I'm dealing with the chemo drugs.
I get weighed each time - chemo solutions are made for me personally and for the amount I weigh. Large fluctuations in weight also raise flags for the medical staff.
Once I've signed in on the chemo list, I help myself to a chemo chair with IV pole or wait until there is one available. Mondays and Fridays seem to be the most busy for the chemo room. I usually go on Tuesdays since I don't need to be anywhere else.
The nurse comes by to measure heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation.
Then we wait. The pharmacy has my orders in queue and, depending on how busy they are, I may wait for more than an hour for my turn. If I'm lucky, there are goodies to eat that someone brought. Sometimes, I'll take something to share. There are always juices, protein drinks, and ginger ale (for nausea) and a few other sodas in the fridge. The doctor's office keeps it stocked. There are also clean pillowcases and pillows, and clean and heated blankets.
The chemo chairs are special recliners. They're like medical office chairs that tilt far back, even to the point of inversion. There's a reason for that. When the nurses access our medical ports where the IV goes in, some people don't have good enough circulation to get the medications flowing. Lowering the upper body below the feet helps the meds flow better.
Ah, my chemo orders are ready to go. The nurse comes over and pushes a special type of needle into my port, which is on the right side of the upper chest. She (so far, always a woman) tapes the needle and IV line to my skin so that it doesn't move. We always start and end with saline solution which gets the pump going and flushes the line at the end as well as hydrating me enough to require bladder breaks quite often!
First after saline is steroids against allergic reactions. The rest depends on the person. Most get anti-nausea and anti-vomiting drugs. I've been through 4 different chemo regimens so far and have not needed anti-nausea or anti-vomiting drugs, thank goodness.
Once a month, I get calcium through the IV. If my red blood cells dip too low (chemo induced anemia), I get a red blood booster called Aranesp. So far, I've only had one blood transfusion when red blood cell count needed to go up more than it was.
When white blood cell counts get too low (neutropenia), I get boosters for those too. Never on the day of chemo but on the day after.
There is usually someone there to talk to whom I've met before. Many of us are there over years and it becomes like a "chemo neighborhood". We talk about our cancers, the stage of the cancer, what drugs we are getting, what seems to work and how we feel.
We all react to chemo differently. There's no reason to dread it because someone else had problems. So much depends on the drugs you get, your physical health, your attitude, and just the way your body reacts.
Every time I get chemo, I also get blood work at the lab. The medical staff are looking at red and white blood cell counts, electrolytes like potassium, minerals like calcium, and liver and kidney functions. There is also something else - cancer marker levels. For me, it's CA 27-29. Each cancer has its own marker.
Sometimes, I see the doctor or the physician's assistant before chemo. They may want to discuss lab results or ask how I'm dealing with the chemo drugs.
I get weighed each time - chemo solutions are made for me personally and for the amount I weigh. Large fluctuations in weight also raise flags for the medical staff.
Once I've signed in on the chemo list, I help myself to a chemo chair with IV pole or wait until there is one available. Mondays and Fridays seem to be the most busy for the chemo room. I usually go on Tuesdays since I don't need to be anywhere else.
The nurse comes by to measure heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation.
Then we wait. The pharmacy has my orders in queue and, depending on how busy they are, I may wait for more than an hour for my turn. If I'm lucky, there are goodies to eat that someone brought. Sometimes, I'll take something to share. There are always juices, protein drinks, and ginger ale (for nausea) and a few other sodas in the fridge. The doctor's office keeps it stocked. There are also clean pillowcases and pillows, and clean and heated blankets.
The chemo chairs are special recliners. They're like medical office chairs that tilt far back, even to the point of inversion. There's a reason for that. When the nurses access our medical ports where the IV goes in, some people don't have good enough circulation to get the medications flowing. Lowering the upper body below the feet helps the meds flow better.
Ah, my chemo orders are ready to go. The nurse comes over and pushes a special type of needle into my port, which is on the right side of the upper chest. She (so far, always a woman) tapes the needle and IV line to my skin so that it doesn't move. We always start and end with saline solution which gets the pump going and flushes the line at the end as well as hydrating me enough to require bladder breaks quite often!
First after saline is steroids against allergic reactions. The rest depends on the person. Most get anti-nausea and anti-vomiting drugs. I've been through 4 different chemo regimens so far and have not needed anti-nausea or anti-vomiting drugs, thank goodness.
Once a month, I get calcium through the IV. If my red blood cells dip too low (chemo induced anemia), I get a red blood booster called Aranesp. So far, I've only had one blood transfusion when red blood cell count needed to go up more than it was.
When white blood cell counts get too low (neutropenia), I get boosters for those too. Never on the day of chemo but on the day after.
There is usually someone there to talk to whom I've met before. Many of us are there over years and it becomes like a "chemo neighborhood". We talk about our cancers, the stage of the cancer, what drugs we are getting, what seems to work and how we feel.
We all react to chemo differently. There's no reason to dread it because someone else had problems. So much depends on the drugs you get, your physical health, your attitude, and just the way your body reacts.
Once chemo is done, the nurse disconnects the IV needle from the port and I'm done. I can go home until the next time.
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