1 Down, 11 To Go!

Well.  We had our first chemo experience, and I won't lie to you - it did not go quite as smoothly as we had hoped!

Matt received his first dose at the cancer center on Tuesday morning, which was pretty uneventful.  We played on our phones and chatted with the nurses and other patients for about 5 hours while he received the first 2 medications.  After that, he was hooked up to a pump so he could go home and receive the 3rd medication for the next 48 hours.  This is when the fun began.



I couldn't convince him to rock the fanny pack the way it is meant to be rocked,
but he did pose for a picture with it! Small victories ;)

He insisted that I go to work, so I did, but by the time he got home the pump alarm was already beeping.  He called the 1-800 number they gave us for such occasions, and they drove to the house with a new pump.  Everything seemed to be going okay until after dinner when he picked up the bag and said "uh, what's this white stuff?"  I picked it and felt that it was soaking wet.  Kathy and I looked it over, and even smelled it - then it hit me, the chemo at the hospital was a cloudy white color - the chemo was leaking from the bag!  Now, if you know me you know that I tend to freak out sometimes when it isn't necessary, BUT THIS WAS A WARRANTED FREAK OUT.

I immediately called the 1-800 number and explained what had happened.  The woman on the other end said "Wow, umm, okay this NEVER happens. Did anyone touch it?"  I looked up at Kathy with huge eyes.  In one second I had dropped the bag and was at the sink holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder while frantically scrubbing my hands and mouthing to Kathy "WASH-YOUR-HANDSSS."  She said not to worry, it will be fine, but of course I was thinking "NO, IT'S NOT, OUR HANDS ARE GOING TO FALL OFF!" I'm sure she was thinking "what kind of idiot touches a wet bag containing chemo medication?" *eye roll*  After she made some calls she thought it would be best to go to the ER.

We were at there for a few hours, and after consulting with a pharmacist, poison control, and the oncologist, they ended up wrapping it up in a plastic bag, and sending us home around midnight - talk about a long day for Matt, poor little fella!

Matt and Kathy went back to the oncologist the following morning where they set him up with a new pump, and everything went fine after that.  He had the pump removed yesterday, so he is officially finished with the first dose.  Aside from the understandable frustration from all of the chaos, Matt is doing OKAY.  He is very tired and very nauseous, but we expected that.  1 down, 11 to go!  I am hoping and praying more than ever that the next 6 months fly by!  Thanks for your continued support and prayers!