Rites of Passage
I don't really know how to describe the last 72 hours. It's been nuts. Let me make an early apology if I have typos. I can barely even feel my fingertips from the chemo. And this entry is not for those who don't like details...
I was suppose to start a 24 hour chemo drip of Methotrexate (see my pic below) Saturday morning. I ended up not starting until Sunday at 3AM in the morning.
What no one ever told me is that the chemo would not be started until my urine met a certain PH level so they knew my kidneys would be able to take it. The hospital was short staffed over the weekend and they weren't checking my pee samples so I couldn't ever get started. I would press the nurse call button and not hear anything for 15 or 20 minutes. It was so bad.
My mom and Mike was staying with me.. and I really needed their support. Mike got mad at the hospitial staff becuase it had been over 10 hours and they still hadn't started the chemo. The hospitial finally sent 2 security officers and a nurse supervisor to my room. The nurse supervisor was at first rude to me and had her security backup with her.. but things quickly started to change when I started talking. My mom and Mike was there in the room but the nurse told them "who are you people.. let me talk to the patient."
I basically told the nurse supervisor and the security guards that if I had a job and I didn't do it then I would be fired. Well, the nurses on that day had not been doing their jobs and I was having 3 urine samples pile up and no one test them and no one responding to my calls. The nurse told me I was "nit-picking" but I told her MY LIFE WAS ON THE LINE and if SHE WAS IN MY PLACE SHE WOULD EXPECT MORE. Before it was over, one of the security guards was nodding her head in agreement with me. It almost wanted to make me laugh. It was a terrible way to start, but I must admit that after making all that noise I got better treatment from there on out.
So now to my treatment, it finally started at 4AM on Sunday. The first hour was a big dose and then it continued for 23 more hours (all via IV). I didn't feel much while I was getting the actual chemo. The biggest pain was having to pee in a cup and then call the hospital staff every single time. I was being given lots of fluids so I had to go a lot. I probably had over 100 pee samples.
After the 24 hours of methotrexate, I had 12 hours of nothing. This is when I started to feel bad. I played my ipod and played music because it was the only thing that gave me peace. I felt so terrible, probably worse than I ever had in my life. I didn't feel like I was dying but just the worst ill filling you can imagine.
At some point, they started to give me a recovery drug every 6 hours. Memorial day was at some point, but its all a blur to me what happened the past few days.
My doctor came about 1030a this morning and told me that all the 24 hour chemo I had had was cleared from my blood. It was the best feeling. I was free from the hosptial!!!
Me and my mom then walked over to the doctors office and they gave me another shot of something that is suppose to make my body create more white blood cells.
My doc says I am doing great.. and that I still have twice the amount of white blood cells that he would have expected me to have given my treatment.
I feel really bad, but trying to keep my spirits high. My mouth has a very salty taste in it and my fingers are so numb I can hardly open containers and that type of thing. I have to ask for a lot of help. I'm doing a good job of kicking this cancer though! My mom heads back to Tallahassee tonight or tommorrow and I am really thankful that she came to be with me. Her and Mike being with me at the hosptial made it a better experience.
I am back at the doctors office tommorrow for more Rituxian. I hope I start to get my strength back up. I feel like I should get a badge of honor or something for this hospital visit I just came back from. It feels like some kind of rites of passage. Hopefully the next hospital stay will be a little more plesant. And hopefully I will start feeling better soon.
I was suppose to start a 24 hour chemo drip of Methotrexate (see my pic below) Saturday morning. I ended up not starting until Sunday at 3AM in the morning.
What no one ever told me is that the chemo would not be started until my urine met a certain PH level so they knew my kidneys would be able to take it. The hospital was short staffed over the weekend and they weren't checking my pee samples so I couldn't ever get started. I would press the nurse call button and not hear anything for 15 or 20 minutes. It was so bad.
My mom and Mike was staying with me.. and I really needed their support. Mike got mad at the hospitial staff becuase it had been over 10 hours and they still hadn't started the chemo. The hospitial finally sent 2 security officers and a nurse supervisor to my room. The nurse supervisor was at first rude to me and had her security backup with her.. but things quickly started to change when I started talking. My mom and Mike was there in the room but the nurse told them "who are you people.. let me talk to the patient."
I basically told the nurse supervisor and the security guards that if I had a job and I didn't do it then I would be fired. Well, the nurses on that day had not been doing their jobs and I was having 3 urine samples pile up and no one test them and no one responding to my calls. The nurse told me I was "nit-picking" but I told her MY LIFE WAS ON THE LINE and if SHE WAS IN MY PLACE SHE WOULD EXPECT MORE. Before it was over, one of the security guards was nodding her head in agreement with me. It almost wanted to make me laugh. It was a terrible way to start, but I must admit that after making all that noise I got better treatment from there on out.
So now to my treatment, it finally started at 4AM on Sunday. The first hour was a big dose and then it continued for 23 more hours (all via IV). I didn't feel much while I was getting the actual chemo. The biggest pain was having to pee in a cup and then call the hospital staff every single time. I was being given lots of fluids so I had to go a lot. I probably had over 100 pee samples.
After the 24 hours of methotrexate, I had 12 hours of nothing. This is when I started to feel bad. I played my ipod and played music because it was the only thing that gave me peace. I felt so terrible, probably worse than I ever had in my life. I didn't feel like I was dying but just the worst ill filling you can imagine.
At some point, they started to give me a recovery drug every 6 hours. Memorial day was at some point, but its all a blur to me what happened the past few days.
My doctor came about 1030a this morning and told me that all the 24 hour chemo I had had was cleared from my blood. It was the best feeling. I was free from the hosptial!!!
Me and my mom then walked over to the doctors office and they gave me another shot of something that is suppose to make my body create more white blood cells.
My doc says I am doing great.. and that I still have twice the amount of white blood cells that he would have expected me to have given my treatment.
I feel really bad, but trying to keep my spirits high. My mouth has a very salty taste in it and my fingers are so numb I can hardly open containers and that type of thing. I have to ask for a lot of help. I'm doing a good job of kicking this cancer though! My mom heads back to Tallahassee tonight or tommorrow and I am really thankful that she came to be with me. Her and Mike being with me at the hosptial made it a better experience.
I am back at the doctors office tommorrow for more Rituxian. I hope I start to get my strength back up. I feel like I should get a badge of honor or something for this hospital visit I just came back from. It feels like some kind of rites of passage. Hopefully the next hospital stay will be a little more plesant. And hopefully I will start feeling better soon.
posted by Robbie at 4:38 PM
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