Round 3
Today was the start of Round 3. Unfortunately last night was difficult. I had some type of stomach bug or food poisoning. Whatever it was, it hurt both in my abdomen and kidneys. I get this several times a year, far too random to figure out. Getting this the night before chemo was not good though. I simply couldn't get much sleep, and I was anxious that with any pain in my kidneys, Nurse Jenn might delay my chemo.
At 6 am we rose, had some oatmeal and coffee. My stomach was still unsettled, and I was not able to drink my litre of water before arriving at the hospital. The Floor 9 waiting room was much quieter than usual. Leslie and I had brought two large shopping bags of books which we left by the 'book cart', I used the restroom to get my hands clean and checked in.
Checkin was fairly uneventful, though my blood pressure is too high. :-( Nurse Jenn called me in almost immediately. Our meeting lasted a little longer since I had a number of concerns to address with her. Have I mentioned how much I admire Nurse Jenn? She is really a good person. She listens, has solutions, gives options, and her physical exams are filled with respect. Nurse Jenn agreed that my gastric distress was not chemo-based, and made note of my hydration-state.
Nurse Jenn also says it is time to be in touch with my Radiation Oncologist. I knew this was coming, but I wasn't actually ready to be forced to look to the next step. Dr. Mary Ann will be calling to schedule this appointment.
During the break that followed [my blood counts weren't back yet] we headed downstairs. Leslie went to get coffee cakes, and I found a juice to add to my water. Straight water just isn't appealing right now.
Nurse Judy did a great job again. To place the IV, she had to move up the hand away from the previous two insertion points. Almost immediately it became clear that we had hit a very sensitive vein. I could feel the pre-drip saline a lot. Nurse Judy had to slow it down, and then slow down everything that followed. Nurse Jenn also made sure that I received the entire slaine drip to help with hydration. Not a problem, but it did mean that we were there until after 1pm.
On our way out, we noticed that one bag of the books was almost empty! The 20 year old technical books still sat in the book cart. Maybe I will have the energy to sort out those books someday as a way of giving back. Who wants to read a 20-year old DOS book?
A quick stop at the Whole Foods on the way home, and I was totally exhausted. I had a quick snack of cheese, and I crawled into bed and slept for four hours. I might still be in bed, except Leslie knew that I needed to keep hydrating and woke me up with a drink.
Tonight, we headed to JP Licks for an old-fashioned ice cream soda as we did following Round 2. It is so amazing to live somewhere that you can get high-quality ice cream at 11pm. We sat at the outdoor plaza watching the young professionals walk by. Even though it is October, the weather is still warm, the square was active, and being surrounded by the signs of urban life made me happy.
So, so far, so good! I am not experiencing any nausea, but the fatigue factor is definitely rising. We shall see what tomorrow brings!
At 6 am we rose, had some oatmeal and coffee. My stomach was still unsettled, and I was not able to drink my litre of water before arriving at the hospital. The Floor 9 waiting room was much quieter than usual. Leslie and I had brought two large shopping bags of books which we left by the 'book cart', I used the restroom to get my hands clean and checked in.
Checkin was fairly uneventful, though my blood pressure is too high. :-( Nurse Jenn called me in almost immediately. Our meeting lasted a little longer since I had a number of concerns to address with her. Have I mentioned how much I admire Nurse Jenn? She is really a good person. She listens, has solutions, gives options, and her physical exams are filled with respect. Nurse Jenn agreed that my gastric distress was not chemo-based, and made note of my hydration-state.
Nurse Jenn also says it is time to be in touch with my Radiation Oncologist. I knew this was coming, but I wasn't actually ready to be forced to look to the next step. Dr. Mary Ann will be calling to schedule this appointment.
During the break that followed [my blood counts weren't back yet] we headed downstairs. Leslie went to get coffee cakes, and I found a juice to add to my water. Straight water just isn't appealing right now.
Nurse Judy did a great job again. To place the IV, she had to move up the hand away from the previous two insertion points. Almost immediately it became clear that we had hit a very sensitive vein. I could feel the pre-drip saline a lot. Nurse Judy had to slow it down, and then slow down everything that followed. Nurse Jenn also made sure that I received the entire slaine drip to help with hydration. Not a problem, but it did mean that we were there until after 1pm.
On our way out, we noticed that one bag of the books was almost empty! The 20 year old technical books still sat in the book cart. Maybe I will have the energy to sort out those books someday as a way of giving back. Who wants to read a 20-year old DOS book?
A quick stop at the Whole Foods on the way home, and I was totally exhausted. I had a quick snack of cheese, and I crawled into bed and slept for four hours. I might still be in bed, except Leslie knew that I needed to keep hydrating and woke me up with a drink.
Tonight, we headed to JP Licks for an old-fashioned ice cream soda as we did following Round 2. It is so amazing to live somewhere that you can get high-quality ice cream at 11pm. We sat at the outdoor plaza watching the young professionals walk by. Even though it is October, the weather is still warm, the square was active, and being surrounded by the signs of urban life made me happy.
So, so far, so good! I am not experiencing any nausea, but the fatigue factor is definitely rising. We shall see what tomorrow brings!
posted by *susan* at
11:55 PM
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