After a week long delay for me to recover from my hospital spell, I finally get around to chemo session number two.
I arrive at the chemo unit at 1:00pm and after much vein prodding a cannula is put into my arm. The nurse suggests that I have a picc line inserted especially if I'm unlucky enough to end up in hospital again. The problem that I have, apart from rubbish veins, is that nurses can only take blood from my left arm. This is because I had lymph nodes removed from my right armpit so there is an increased risk of lymphoedema. This is a long term condition that causes swelling in the body's tissue. This can lead to pain and loss of mobility. I can't even have my blood pressure taken on the infected side.
A picc line is a tube that is inserted into a vein in your arm and travels all the way up and down to just above your heart. It stays in for the duration of treatment and all bloods can be taken from there as well as any drugs that need to be given. It means no more bloody needles or bruises for me....or cannulas in my bloody feet!!
The picc line will be fitted in a few weeks time and will make life just that little bit easier.
I am given a new drug called Emend followed by my steroids. At 2pm my chemo is administered and by 3pm I am free to go home with my usual goody bag of take home drugs.
I feel surprisingly well for the rest of the day. The horrible smell that I had up my nose after my first chemo doesn't seem to be bothering me so much this time round. If anything, by the evening I am feeling a little bit weak and I have a bit of a headache.
I don't have dinner but I do manage a cheese and ham toastie and hubby offers me ice cream for pudding but its just too creamy and I can't stomach it. I spend the rest of the evening munching on ginger biscuits.
I fall asleep about 11pm but I'm awake again at just after 3am feeling a little bit clammy. I still have a headache but I'm not feeling sick. I do start stressing about my meds though as they have slightly changed from last time. I can't remember the instructions the nurse gave me. I will have to phone the chemo unit in the morning.
I do not get back to sleep YAWN!!
Instead I watch Planes Trains and Automobiles and read a whole book as well as chatting to myself on Facebook.
I also have a little go on twitter and I find De La Soul. I send them my audioboo of me "singing" Me Myself and I. Much to my delight DJ Matheo sees it and puts it into his favourites section. This made me giggle. I did apologise for killing their work.
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