It was my second round of chemotherapy yesterday. I wasn't really sure how I felt about beforehand. A part of me was looking forward to seeing all the lovely nurses at the chemo ward and it also means I am one round nearer the end, but wasn't looking forward to the tingling hands, toes and throat which I have had a break from last week.
It was an early start; up at just after 6 to get Alexa ready for nursery. We dropped her off first at 8am and then my Dad dropped me and Mum off at the hospital. First stop was the coffee kiosk for a cappuccino. Just what I needed to wake me up. I knew that it would be a long day as there was so much to do before I even had the chemo. So the first stop was to have my PICC line put back in; I was dreading this as I knew what was coming. Luckily the nurse that puts it in is lovely, she really put me at ease and we had a giggle during the process. She also took my blood so they could make sure I was well enough for the second round of chemo. Once it was put in again I had to go and have a chest X-Ray to make sure that it is in the correct place. I always feel so guilty when I go to have an X-Ray; they always push you to the front and I can see that all these people with broken limbs and little old ladies with breathing difficulties are looking at me thinking why they have called me in so quickly. But hey! I'm a cancer patient so I shouldn't feel guilty!
The X-Ray showed that all was well with the PICC line. So my next appointment was to see the Oncologist. This was the most bizarre appointment I had ever had. My Mum and I had already had a giggle with the Nurse who called us in and the oncologist arrived mid-giggle, so he must have known we were in good spirits. My first question was my worry about dyeing my hair; he confirmed that I couldn't and when I told him I was a natural blonde he began to launch into blonde jokes! So the whole room was full of giggles; the people in the waiting room must have thought we had all gone delirious, I cant imagine its the type of place where you get lots of loud laughing! All this giggling had put me off all the questions I had, by the time he handed me the form to book my next appointment and told me my bloods were fine I had completely lost my train of thought! Oh well, I guess they say laughter is the best medicine, and it was certainly what I needed.
So, off i went back up to West Ward, which is the chemo ward. The pharmacy hadn't released my chemo as they needed to make sure my bloods were okay and that the oncologist didn't want to tweak the dosage. So the waiting began! We waited for about two and a half hours; in that time we were offered a yummy (?) NHS sandwich, we declined and Mum went to the M&S which we are lucky to have in the hospital. I really enjoyed my superfood salad :) At about 2pm I went in to be plugged in; my chemo nurse, Sandra was there to look after me, making sure all had been well since my last round.
And so the two hour sit in began. I had read all my magazines whilst I was waiting for the chemo to be released, so I took the opportunity to catch up on the songs on my ipod. I have over 10,200 songs, so needless to say I haven't listened to most of them! So if chemo is good for one thing (except the obvious of killing cancer LOL) it the chance to catch up with my music. The two hours went quite quickly to be honest; Mum was busily knitting a gorgeous cardigan for Alexa and I only had to take my drip for a walk to the loo once! Unfortunately my side affects were really intense this time and came on really quickly. I had numb feet and fingers, my throat was spasming and my voice went all funny. Sandra gave me some warm wheat packs to try and warm my hands and throat up and she made me a cup of tea but my hands were so weak I couldn't pick it up.
So just before 4pm we were ready to leave, my Dad came to pick us up and we collected a poorly Alexa then went straight home and to bed!! It had been a long day and my bed was most appreciated! Except that by 11pm I was wide awake again!! I haven't been as bad today; just got really achy muscles in the calves and arms, still got the tingling and I've had to sleep most of today. BUT I am one round closer to the end of chemo, so I have to remind myself that it is all worth it.
Cx
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