Saturday, 14 June 2008

Chemo #2

Well Monday I was up at the crack of dawn (god, how do you guys to it - totally unnatural) to get across town to Auckland Hospital for a PICC line insertion. Two hours later (due to really naff veins) and much bruising I came out with a much treasured PICC line and strict instructions not to stuff it up. I must say I was the model patient, forcing them to keep at it when they didn't want to. It was really quite simple, without the PICC line they couldn't do the chemo that day - no chemo, big tumour.

The rest of the day was spent having saline pumped into me so I bloated up like a big bloated, bloat fish. What with this and 3 weeks of steroids I can't even recognise myself in the mirror - have just stopped looking now.

About 10pm the chemo went in - 8gm of Methotrexate - they let that stew for 24 hours and then start on folinic acid to take the Methotrexate out again and help reduce the damage to my body. This continues until the Methotrexate level is <0.05 - then I'm allowed to go home. This happened yesterday, so I'm now happily ensconced on the couch at Mum & Dad's and enjoy the peace and quite of the countryside.

Apart from the boredom of being in hospital the chemo isn't too bad, slightly easier than the last time - doesn't seem to rip my intestines out - so I'm happy enough.

So I now have a week off and return for chemo #3 on the 23rd which also includes another CT scan, which will tell us if this is working or not.

2 comments:

Oswald Bastable said...

Got something of an idea of how you feel. I never had chemo, but got a wacking great dose of radiation via the LINAC.

After I finished the course, they reckoned I looked too healthy on account of biking in for treatment, so they gave me some more!

That was like four months of that queasy feeling of a cask red wine hangover.

19 years later I still can't take sun on the skin where I was irradiated.

But note the 19 years remark and try to take hope!

Annie Fox! said...

Yes 19 years would be great but not really trying to put a time on anything, just that 3-6 months really doesn't fit with how I'm feeling.

The chemo I'm on is actually very easy - keep wanting them to make me sicker as I feel like it would work better - but alas not true.

Fortunately/unfortunately radiation isn't on the cards for me cause of brain damage - it doesn't sound like the most fun.