Wow. I post that I got a new car, and then apparently drove off into the sunset in it, never to post to my blog again. Or maybe I've been back to working full time, doing radiation treatments, and getting my social life back. Boy, is it nice to accept dinner invitations again.
I started radiation on Monday. I have a standing appointment at 8am every weekday. On Monday, I left work too early because I didn't know how long it would take me to get there. 20 minutes is the most it takes, so I allow 30, in case there is traffic. Yup, I'm driving straight into Kansas City during rush hour. I haven't had any troubles, though. Plus, I have an amazing new car to drive!
I got there Monday and they had to do some Xrays. Because of this, I was there between 20 and 30 minutes. I guess I'll get a couple Xrays every Monday, but not sure if it will take as long as the first time did. On Wednesdays, I will always have an appointment with my radiation oncologist. I've found that I can leave work, go to the hospital, park the car, get to the radiation department, undress from the waist up, put on a gown, get radiation, change back into my clothes, and drive back to work....all in an hour. 40 minutes of that is driving!
Yes, it goes fast. Those ladies know what they're doing, and they're super efficient. It is a vulnerable feeling to be lying on that table in a big empty room while a machine shoots radiation into you, but there is no pain or discomfort of any kind involved. They position me, leave the room, the machine does it's thing, and they reposition me again...three times total.
Most of the folks that I know who have had skin reactions do so around 4 weeks in or later. I'm a week in right now. I've done 5/33 treatments. I have a ways to go. A lot of them have been told to use a certain lotion or some such to the area from a week before starting to the end of radiation therapy. I haven't been told to use anything. Most people are told not to use antiperspirant, although some are allowed to use the organic kind. I haven't been told either of these things.
My Wednesday appointment was a bit different because my Dr. was in a meeting that ran long. He asked another doctor to see me so I didn't have to wait. We were together about 90 seconds at most. I have a couple of questions for this week (about the lotion and antiperspirant, etc.) but it still shouldn't take long. I can't believe that the visits go that fast, but it makes it easier to keep up full time at work.
This Tuesday, I have an appointment with my medical oncologist as a follow-up to chemo. I hope she tells me that I can stop being a germaphobe. My father got sick at a MOST inopportune time, as I was just starting to feel like my old self! I'm sure I'll be fine, but I want her to tell me so. I do NOT want to wind up in the hospital again.
Wow, I get long winded when I wait a week to post. That's all that is going on in the wonderful world of cancer. I just keep moving forward. What else can I do? Move forward through treatment and move forward into our busy season at work. I know I'm still supposed to rest when possible and not overdo it, so I'm being careful. I'm just glad that, so far, I'm feeling a bit stronger each day.
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The First 24
The first 24 hours in the hospital has been interesting. They are all very nice here. I'm not used to being in the hospital, so it's weird, but fine. The doctor offered me a sleeping pill last night, and I refused. I've been sleeping fine lately. Apparently that doesn't transfer to a hospital room. LOL She asked today if I regretted refusing it, and I admitted that I did. I'll take one tonight.
The nighttime nurses are sweet and good at what they do. I call them Nighttime Ninja Nurses. The NNNs come in, work by only the light coming in from the hallway, and are back out within five minutes. I barely knew what was going on before they were gone.
My bed has a problem that causes it to lock sometimes. The buttons won't do ANYTHING. The day nurse yesterday knew how to fix it, so she showed Kevin. I didn't pay attention. Guess how much good it did me? This morning, a maintenance guy came in and asked about it. He said that the beds are getting older and need new chips inside. They've been ordered but aren't here yet. Then, he took his fist and hit the control panel! It fixed it right up. I laughed and told him that I remember fixing our TV that way when I was a kid. He said, "So do I. That's what made me try it the first time."
I slept from 9:30ish until 11:30, 12ish until the NNNs came in at 2, and 2:30 until 3:45. I called Kevin at 4 (he was already on his way to work, making up time that he missed yesterday, poor guy) and then I tried to go back to sleep. I was finally successful around 5...and then my cell phone alarm went off at 5:30! What an idiot! I forgot that I have it set to go off each weekday at 5:30. It has been turned off now, for sure!
I told a couple of friends, via Skype, that I wish I had some chips and chocolate. This afternoon, the nurses aid came in carrying a bag with three small bags of chips and 4 kinds of chocolate in it! It turns out that my friends do not know this delivery person, and neither do I. It's a friend of a friend who happens to work here and hooked me up. It's not who you know, it's who is known by whom you know. Or something like that.
I've found that some of the food is quite good, and some is not great. Most of it has been edible, though. Except the tomato soup. Ick. Still, it's overall better than most people describe hospital food, so I'll not complain. I can't imagine feeding this many people. Plus, I'm a lot less picky than most.
At one point today, two doctors came in with two shadows. Students, maybe? Anyway, as the oncologist was telling me that my white cells had dropped again overnight (I know, I know. *sigh*) and I'd be here at least through tomorrow, and possibly Friday, she said, "The good news is, you've been afebrile for 24 hours." My hearing isn't great. I hear things wrong a LOT. What I *heard* is, "You've been senile for 24 hours." Before I could process that enough to be offended, she added, "So as long as the fever doesn't come back..." That's when I realized what she had said. PHEW!
My final story is about how I'm introduced as shifts change. Each nurse is telling the incoming nurse that I'm an ideal patient, or the best patient on the floor, etc, and that I never ring my call button. That's true, I haven't needed to. However, do you know what kind of pressure that puts on me? Holy moly! What if I need something? I'll damage my reputation! LOL Yes. I'll push the button if I need something, but I'm ambulatory, so there isn't much that I could need that I cannot get for myself.
The nighttime nurses are sweet and good at what they do. I call them Nighttime Ninja Nurses. The NNNs come in, work by only the light coming in from the hallway, and are back out within five minutes. I barely knew what was going on before they were gone.
My bed has a problem that causes it to lock sometimes. The buttons won't do ANYTHING. The day nurse yesterday knew how to fix it, so she showed Kevin. I didn't pay attention. Guess how much good it did me? This morning, a maintenance guy came in and asked about it. He said that the beds are getting older and need new chips inside. They've been ordered but aren't here yet. Then, he took his fist and hit the control panel! It fixed it right up. I laughed and told him that I remember fixing our TV that way when I was a kid. He said, "So do I. That's what made me try it the first time."
I slept from 9:30ish until 11:30, 12ish until the NNNs came in at 2, and 2:30 until 3:45. I called Kevin at 4 (he was already on his way to work, making up time that he missed yesterday, poor guy) and then I tried to go back to sleep. I was finally successful around 5...and then my cell phone alarm went off at 5:30! What an idiot! I forgot that I have it set to go off each weekday at 5:30. It has been turned off now, for sure!
I told a couple of friends, via Skype, that I wish I had some chips and chocolate. This afternoon, the nurses aid came in carrying a bag with three small bags of chips and 4 kinds of chocolate in it! It turns out that my friends do not know this delivery person, and neither do I. It's a friend of a friend who happens to work here and hooked me up. It's not who you know, it's who is known by whom you know. Or something like that.
I've found that some of the food is quite good, and some is not great. Most of it has been edible, though. Except the tomato soup. Ick. Still, it's overall better than most people describe hospital food, so I'll not complain. I can't imagine feeding this many people. Plus, I'm a lot less picky than most.
At one point today, two doctors came in with two shadows. Students, maybe? Anyway, as the oncologist was telling me that my white cells had dropped again overnight (I know, I know. *sigh*) and I'd be here at least through tomorrow, and possibly Friday, she said, "The good news is, you've been afebrile for 24 hours." My hearing isn't great. I hear things wrong a LOT. What I *heard* is, "You've been senile for 24 hours." Before I could process that enough to be offended, she added, "So as long as the fever doesn't come back..." That's when I realized what she had said. PHEW!
My final story is about how I'm introduced as shifts change. Each nurse is telling the incoming nurse that I'm an ideal patient, or the best patient on the floor, etc, and that I never ring my call button. That's true, I haven't needed to. However, do you know what kind of pressure that puts on me? Holy moly! What if I need something? I'll damage my reputation! LOL Yes. I'll push the button if I need something, but I'm ambulatory, so there isn't much that I could need that I cannot get for myself.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
A Change of Plans
I expected bone pain on Monday. It's one of the joys of my chemo plan. I get a Neulasta shot on the day after infusion, which helps my bones produce white cells more quickly. The drawback is that I get bad bone pain (lower back, hips and legs) 3-4 days after the shot. At least I can plan for it, which means that I knew Monday would be tough.
I made it until about 11 at work and decided to go home and try to get some work done from there. On the way home, I started feeling overall yucky. I wasn't even logged in to work before deciding that work wasn't going to happen just yet. I needed a nap. I felt like CRAP. I told the girls that I was going to grab a nap, and went to bed around 1:30.
The next thing I remember, it was nearly 5 and Kevin was home from work. I was chilling, had a splitting headache, and was overall miserable. I took my temperature and it was 101.6. We are to call the on-call doctor if it reaches 100.5, so I asked Kevin to call. I could barely think, so I knew I wouldn't be able to make a coherent phone call.
She called in an antibiotic, which Kevin went to pick up for me. She also told me to go in for blood work first thing this morning. I woke with a temp under 100, so I figured I'd get blood drawn and then go in to work. Wrong.
They drew blood from my port, drew blood from my arm, took a urine sample and took a chest X-ray. I waited about an hour for the results, and knew they weren't good when my oncologist came in to deliver the news, instead of the nurse. She told me that she doesn't like to see white counts under 2000, and mine were 700. Paired with my fever the night before, she wanted to admit me. *sigh*
A new problem developed when they found out that there were no beds at the hospital where I was. I would have to go to the Kansas City location. I called Kevin, who left work to come get me. I was exhausted, still had a headache, and didn't feel up to the drive. Plus, by this point, I was a little bit scared. We finally headed out around noon, grabbed a bite to eat, and got to "the big hospital." Seriously, one can easily get lost here.
By the time I was in a room, it was 2:00. Kevin had to go home to get some necessities for me (I had no phone charger or computer or toothbrush, for heaven's sake!) They accessed my port again, finally gave me some Tylenol for my headache, and I settled in.
From what they say, I'll be here a couple of days. I have no fever, and my headache is down to a dull roar when on Tylenol. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been in the hospital, so I'm not quite sure what to do here. I guess I'll just do as they say, lie here, and build white blood cells. Thank goodness for in-room internet.
I made it until about 11 at work and decided to go home and try to get some work done from there. On the way home, I started feeling overall yucky. I wasn't even logged in to work before deciding that work wasn't going to happen just yet. I needed a nap. I felt like CRAP. I told the girls that I was going to grab a nap, and went to bed around 1:30.
The next thing I remember, it was nearly 5 and Kevin was home from work. I was chilling, had a splitting headache, and was overall miserable. I took my temperature and it was 101.6. We are to call the on-call doctor if it reaches 100.5, so I asked Kevin to call. I could barely think, so I knew I wouldn't be able to make a coherent phone call.
She called in an antibiotic, which Kevin went to pick up for me. She also told me to go in for blood work first thing this morning. I woke with a temp under 100, so I figured I'd get blood drawn and then go in to work. Wrong.
They drew blood from my port, drew blood from my arm, took a urine sample and took a chest X-ray. I waited about an hour for the results, and knew they weren't good when my oncologist came in to deliver the news, instead of the nurse. She told me that she doesn't like to see white counts under 2000, and mine were 700. Paired with my fever the night before, she wanted to admit me. *sigh*
A new problem developed when they found out that there were no beds at the hospital where I was. I would have to go to the Kansas City location. I called Kevin, who left work to come get me. I was exhausted, still had a headache, and didn't feel up to the drive. Plus, by this point, I was a little bit scared. We finally headed out around noon, grabbed a bite to eat, and got to "the big hospital." Seriously, one can easily get lost here.
By the time I was in a room, it was 2:00. Kevin had to go home to get some necessities for me (I had no phone charger or computer or toothbrush, for heaven's sake!) They accessed my port again, finally gave me some Tylenol for my headache, and I settled in.
From what they say, I'll be here a couple of days. I have no fever, and my headache is down to a dull roar when on Tylenol. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been in the hospital, so I'm not quite sure what to do here. I guess I'll just do as they say, lie here, and build white blood cells. Thank goodness for in-room internet.
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