Chemo: Rnd 1

Port installed...yay?

So, Monday saw the installation of my chemo port, which is just below my skin below my collarbone and connects a catheter directly to my jugular vein.  With six rounds, this makes administering the chemotherapy drugs much easier. I was awake during the procedure, but very sedated. The nurse would occasionally check on me, and I would assure her as best I could from my vantage point that it wasn’t as bad as the previous week’s bone marrow aspiration and biopsy.

Rituxan reaction

With port in place, I checked into the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center day chemo room on Tuesday where I officially began my curative treatment.  As it’s an aggressive form, the doctor is hitting it hard and fast. With steroids, Benadryl, and saline pushed through the port, I began on the “R” of “R-CHOP,” which is Rituxan and very caustic as an artificial antibody that the body often rejects, so they start out slowly.  All seemed well, but at about 125ml/hour, my ear started to itch, and when my wife looked at me, I had a rash down my cheeks like red sideburns. She called the nurses over, who discontinued the drug, checked my vitals, pushed steroids, Benadryl, and saline as my throat started to itch.  Once under control, I had to wait 30 minutes before we started again, but way down on the drip rate. All seemed well, and then at about 100ml/hour, my heart began racing and I

Chilling for Chemo, Day 2

felt flush. They had to repeat the earlier protocol, but it was already too late to resume after the rest period.  Resigned, I received the “CHO” parts and sent home with “P” being oral prednisone at home after 8.5 hours and an appointment on Wednesday to finish the Rituxan—the hope was to get it up to 400ml/hour otherwise it was going to be a 9-hour day.

Neulasta auto injector
of bone pain.

With everything else assaulting my immune system, Wednesday did go much better, and we got the Rituxan in after about 5 hours.  After which, a Neulasta pod was stuck to me (like the commercials...it injects into you automatically after 24 hours to stimulate white cell production).  A very unexpected side effect of the copious steroids used to keep the deadly allergic reaction at bay were deep, incessant, galling hiccups that lasted for three days and two different prescriptions to get them taken care of, which did cause some extreme dizziness and a fall in the night (I’m okay).  The Neulasta has a wonderful side effect of deep bone pain, the cost of speeding up the white cell production. I took my last dose of prednisone last night, so now the first volley has been sent to crumble some of that mountain.

I have a check up on Tuesday to review my blood counts, but the next chemo appointment isn’t until January 3.  I do still have all my hair, but I’m told not to count on it to last past the second treatment, if it makes it that far.