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!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stop Ghosting Yourself

Image
Let’s be honest. Do you know anyone who isn’t busy? Probably not.  WE ARE ALL BUSY. Kids, spouses, pets, jo bs, extracurriculars, birthday parties, vacations, sick/injured family, etc. We all have full plates, chores to do, and grocery orders to pick up!  I don’t like to start a blog post with tough love, but I think it’s necessary today!  Truthfully, if this hurts your feelings, you probably need to hear it. You are not too busy to take care of yourself. I’ll say it again. YOU are NOT too busy to take care of YOURSELF. I know you. You get lunches packed and kids off to school. You work hard at your job. You go to the grocery store, the post office, work the concession stand at the ball game. You come home, help with homework, cook dinner, give baths, and do the bedtime routine. Oh then, you pick up the house. Everyone around you is taken care of and happy as can be…but where does that leave you? How do you feel? If I had to guess, I’d say you are happy that your family i...
Read more

My Secret Sauce

Image
I think you know by now that I am pretty candid about what’s going on in my life. Consequently, I am also candid about what’s going on in the lives of those around me.  So, here’s a quick update to bring everyone up to speed who maybe haven’t watched my stories and posts as diligently as I would like...  Matt has been experiencing a lot of pain, and recently had a surgery in an attempt to relieve that pain. The jury is still out on whether or not there is improvement because, much like when you do a simple home repair, you fix one thing, 3 more pop up. He also started a new chemo this week. It has definitely felt like a super steep uphill battle the past few months, but I will go more in depth with everything another day. Logan is almost 1. He is walking, talking, and destroying constantly. I am still working from home full time. Both a blessing and a curse for many reasons. I started a thing called 75 Hard, at which I initiall...
Read more

Happy C-Section Awareness Month!

Image
I recently learned that April is Caesarean Section awareness month. I had never given it much thought, but now, having experienced it myself, I feel the need to celebrate the c-section mamas. In movies and TV shows, there is always that beautiful birth moment - you know the one. The crying, sweaty, exhausted mama feels she can’t go on. Then someone holds her hand and gives her the encouraging speech she needs for one last push. Just then, you hear the unmistakable sound of a newborn baby crying as they place him or her on the moms chest. *cue music* Now, I don’t know if that’s really how it goes or not because I never made it there!  My doctor knew Logan was going to be a big boy, and suggested that I schedule a c-section.  I thought to myself “noooo way! (That’s scary.) You are not taking my beautiful, made-for-movies moment away from me! (Also, I’m scared.) You don’t know what I’m capable of, lady! (Petrified of that option actually.) I’ve got this!!” You guys, I didn’t...
Read more