Chemotherapy - Session X

Sooooo, today was FUN... well, it wasn't really FUN, but it was exciting. I guess what I really mean is - it was a looooong day at the Franklin Clinic.

Where do I start? My day should look something like this - 10:30 Blood Draw, 11:30 Dr Appt, 12:00 Chemo, 2:30/3'ish on my way home.

Instead it looked like this -

10:35	-	Arrive at Franklin Center
10:40'ish	-	Get checked in
10:45	-	Check into Oncology
11:00	-	Blood Draw
12:00	-	Dr Appt
2:30'ish	-	Start Chemo
5 minutes after 2:30'ish	-	Stop Chemo
2:45	-	CT Scan
3:30	-	Back up to Oncology - restart Chemo
6:00	-	Finish Chemo

I was running late in the morning, so that got my blood draw off whack. And then the labs came back showing my neutrophils were good to go, but my "chemistry" labs weren't back. I didn't know what that meant, but apparently the chemistry labs have to do with my liver and kidney function. That was a pretty big holdup.

Hmmm... I should backtrack a little. When I saw my nurse and Dr Azar I told them that I was having some breathing problems last night. I had a really crummy night's sleep with the breathing funny thing, plus my shoulder is still sore from surgery and it didn't help that I stayed up late playing TWIRL on Facebook! Anyway, I told them that it didn't hurt but it felt like my breath was being taken away (and not in a good way) or like I had the wind knocked out of me. Dr Azar thought it was probably the Neupogen. This made sense cause I took the Neupogen Monday evening and that is about when I noticed the problem. There was a bit of an occurrence on the way to the clinic and while I was waiting for my meds. But when they hooked up the Chemo, it got really bad and both my friend Sheila and my nurse Julie noticed, so she stopped the Chemo and took my vitals. Then she gave me a dose of steroids in case it was an allergic reaction. Dr Azar came over and said she ordered a CT scan just to make sure there weren't any blood clots in my lungs. Cause although the timing coordinated with the Neupogen shot, it also coordinated with my surgery.

The results of the CT Scan were negative and I actually felt better by the time they re-hooked up the Chemo. Dr Azar still thinks it was the Neupogen because it can have a side effect like that and she thinks the additional steroids they gave me helped. And even though it was negative, I'm not sorry for having had the scan. There are things that run through my mind when I get some sort of symptom that wasn't there the night before. It kinda freaks me out. That also could be the reason I stayed up so late - I'm even afraid to go to sleep! The thought of complications is scarier for me than the thought of cancer. Isn't that weird?

So here's something that happened today that I never would have expected. When she told me about the CT Scan, Dr Azar asked if I would have the $ for the co-pay, cause if I didn't she would lend me the money - she just wanted to be sure it wasn't a clot. The co-pay was a hundred bucks. I said "no", I didn't have it and asked if they could bill me. She said they could. But she came back a few minutes later and threw a hundred dollar bill in my lap and told me I could pay her back whenever I had it. What the! Sheila has been with me since the beginning of all this and she has liked Dr Azar from the beginning... but even she walked away saying how her opinion of her went up notches. She had never witnessed anything like that - and she's a nurse. Well, all I can say is she's awesome and I am so happy she's my doc.

Bummer about having to wait so long for lab results.
Good things - Good company! (Thanks Shelia!) And we got to see a HUGE military helicopter land at the hospital across the street. That kept us entertained for a few minutes.

Bummer about me having kidnapped Sheila for so long today because she stayed with me till I was done.
Good thing - I am really good company. hahaha. At least I am funny! But really, Mondo brought us dinner and we sat out on the patio and enjoyed the nice weather while having our BBQ sandwiches.

Bummer that I missed my WDP Board of Trustees meeting.
Good thing - my presentation was already sent to the Head of School so he could pass it out for me.

Bummer that there were all the mishaps (or whatever you would call them) of the day.
Good thing - I have an aaaaaaawwweeesooooome Oncology Team. Dr Azar, Julie and Lisa are the best and they really make me feel like I am getting the best care I could hope for.

Best thing of the day - I only have TWO more Chemotherapy Sessions after today!!!!!!