First Day of Chemo Went Well

Today was Steve’s first day of chemo and it went well.

We are getting chemo at the Infusion center at Kent Hospital and I have to say we really like them there.  Plus it’s nice and close to the house which is a huge plus.

The doctor told us we’d be there for a couple of hours but when we arrived they told us that wasn’t true, we’d actually be there for about 5-6 hours.  Steve wasn’t very happy at first but it is what it is and nothing we can do about it.  Eventually we’ll be down to about 3 hours.  So perhaps that’s what he was thinking about.

Since Steve had the port placed just 2 days ago, the area is still very tender and a bit swollen.  So getting the needle for the IV into the port wasn’t very easy.   3 different nurses tried and the 3rd one got it in.  It took them about an hour just to do it because they thought it through each time rather than continuing to poke him.  Steve was grateful for that but very anxious to get it started.   The nurses were amazing through out the entire (stressful for us) process and assured us this was normal the first time, especially when there is still some swelling.  But once it was in, everything was fine.

Before he actually gets the “chemo”, he gets a lot of pre-meds including some anti-nausea meds.  One of the meds takes an hour and a half to administer but eventually will only be 30 minutes.  It can cause your blood pressure to rise so they give it to you slowly at first and decrease the time each time.

I seriously can’t say enough about how wonderful they all were there and they made us feel comfortable and at home.  There is a little kitchen area that I can get coffee, tea, soda, water, snacks and even lunch for both Steve and I.  And there is a really nice cafe inside the hospital with amazingly delicious coffee and cookies so I’m pretty happy!

Rather than it being one big open room, they have little cubbies there and we were in a nice corner cubby.  It was small but cozy.  I sat with him all day and worked while he read and snoozed on and off.  Minus a few trips to the cafe to get some coffee!  Now that we know what to expect, next time he’ll bring his laptop so he can also work and a mug for his tea since their cups are really small.  Those of you that know Steve,  know he likes a big cup of tea!  And warm liquids are a good choice for him since one side effect from the chemo is sensitivity to cold drinks.

Once he was done there, they sent us home to meet the nurse there who was going to hook him up to the portable pump.  This will administer the chemo slowly over the next 46 hours.  It’s small and very portable and he even has a fanny pack to carry it around in.

He feels fine so far and hopefully will continue to feel that way.  But only time will tell.   Friends are bringing us dinner tonight and I’m grateful for that as I’m exhausted today.  Even though I sat around most of the day, we both slept horribly last night and all this worry is wearing me down.  I’m hoping the worry can start to go away and we just get into a routine, a different routine, but one at that.

Thanks again for all the emails, messages, texts and thoughts today.  They are always a nice reminder of how much we are loved.

And the girls did great, the swam across the street all day and didn’t even seem bothered by the fact that mom and dad were gone all day.  Worked out perfectly.