The infusion room

I've been wanting to mention this since my last port flush... Even though I was only in the infusion room for a few minutes what I saw made a big impression on me. It was a busy day there, almost every recliner was occupied. Men and women, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but it always seemed like it was predominately women when I was receiving chemo... There were probably a dozen people receiving treatment. It was obvious many were very sick. Several of them were bald and wearing those knit caps (like they put on newborns) cancer patients, including me when I was sick, always wear.

Even though most of these folks looked pretty sick they all were wearing cheerful faces. Damn, cancer patients sure are tough. I wish I could have stayed for awhile to speak with some of them. I'd be interesting in hearing their stories.

This is the two year anniversary (a couple of weeks ago really) of me beginning my ABVD treatments. It's kind of weird, the strangest things trigger a flashback to that time. Some of them include the Campbell's Soup jingle, the company (the name escapes me) that sells Halloween costumes and ALL of the darned political commercials. It was a govenatorial electon year when I started treatment and the commercials drove me crazy. So, here's a little list of some things that were true two years ago:

1. I was bald
2. I vomited a LOT
3. I weighed less
4. I had a blood clot in my left leg
5. I couldn't walk more than about 20 feet without assistance
6. I had two or more more medical appointments every week
7. I wasn't driving
8. I was isolated and lonely
9. I was terrified
10. I was taking warfarin
11. I was on extended sick leave from work
12. I took so many medications daily that Brad had to keep track of them on a spreadsheet

Ok, I'm done. All things considered, except for weighing more, things are looking up. 😃

Life with a port-a-cath

I thought I'd talk a little about having a port-a-cath. You may recall, I had one "installed" earlier this year to make my rituxan treatments go a little easier. The ABVD treatments I received two years ago for my classic Hodgkin lymphoma ruined my veins. Not getting a port then was a real mistake. Much of my anxiety related to those chemo treatments centered on the nurse being able to start the IV. That became more challenging as the treatments continued and became nearly impossible at the end. It's a real challenge for a phlebotomist to draw blood from me any more. So, when it became apparent I would require further treatment I agreed to get a port-a-cath.

Anyway... The surgery wasn't too bad. Well, except for freaking out a little over having surgery #7 and knowing there would for sure be a surgery #8 to someday have the darned thing removed. As I mentioned in a pervious post, I received my first rituxan treatment the day after the port was installed.  Since then, living with a port has been interesting. Here are some comments about the port:

• The port makes treatments MUCH easier. I have no doubt the nurse will be able to start the IV
• It hurts like a son of a gun for a moment, then it's over
• Occasionally I have pain in the area of the port. Short duration but sharp pains. I'm not sure why this happens but I've been told it is normal.
• The skin over the port is always kinda itchy. It's not red or irritated, just itchy
• It feels weird when I touch the area. Imagine having a bottle cap implanted under your skin :)
• It has to be flushed with saline and heparin once a month to prevent a clot from forming in it
• When I took a hot shower yesterday the port felt like it was scalding me! Ok Lisa, turn down the heat a little.
• Reading the above it may not sound like a port is such a great thing but I think the easy of starting an IV is worth it all.

The last time I had my port flushed there was a 60 something woman there having hers flushed too. She told me she'd had it for 10 years! Holy cow! Well, I have to admit, I'm not anxious to have mine removed. Life is uncertain, I might need it again even after I finish my two years of rituxan maintenance.