I had chemo on Thursday morning at 10:00, and then from Friday to Monday (tomorrow) they are at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM and 10:00 PM. I have one infusion on Tuesday but I'm not sure what time it's at.
In "technical" terms, I am on "Day -3" right now as far as my stem cell transplant is concerned. The transplant will happen this coming Wednesday, and as exciting as it sounds, it is actually just another blood transfusion that happens to be my own stem cells that were collected a couple weeks ago.
I am stuck in my ward on the 15th floor of the hospital, and I'm not allowed to leave because of how immunocompromised I will soon become. I am craving fresh air, but it is still several weeks until I will be able to get any. The air vents in the ceiling have special filters and none of the windows open. I know this is to protect me, but it feels so dry and stuffy.
Every time I pee, I have to go into a special cup in my bathroom and write down how much I went. The chemo I am getting can damage my kidneys so the nurses need to constantly monitor my fluid intake and output. I receive an IV fluid drip (saline) 24/7. It pumps about 125ml into me every hour so needless to say, I have to pee a lot. Combining the IV drip with all the water, milk and juice that I drink as per usual, I've been outputting at minimum 3 litres every 12 hours!
The nurses and doctors that have dealt with me are all really nice. A couple of the nurses have been incredible - not only taking good care of me, but sometimes lingering to chat and constantly making sure I have everything I need. One of them even goes down the road to Starbucks and gets a latte for me on her morning break!
It's been nice getting to know some of the other patients too. We're all in the same boat together, and everybody seems to always have a smile when I pass them in the hallway. One of the guys I've chatted with a few times shuffled into my room to bring me a fruit smoothie this morning.
Timeline
WED, DEC. 3RD - My parents dropped me off and helped me settle in at the hospital in the afternoon but nothing really happened for the rest of the evening. My nurse gave me a little orientation, and after a disgusting supper I watched some TV and eventually went to bed around 10:00 PM. I didn't have a very good sleep because hospitals are noisy places. There is a loud ceiling fan above my bed, and the nurses were constantly coming and going to check on my roommate on the other side of the curtain.
THU, DEC. 4TH - I got up at 6:00 AM when my nurse came to check my vital signs.
There is an old exercise bike in the hallway outside my room, so I began my day with a 30 minute ride, feeling pretty good! I followed that with a shower (down another hallway with a sign-up sheet on the door) and at 9:00 AM it was breakfast.
At 10:00 AM I was hooked up to my IV tower via the Hickman line in my chest, for my first chemo infusion. I am permanently attached now, and the only time I get unhooked is when I want to have a shower. My first chemo infusion began but it didn't really affect me. I did a few walking laps around the ward, played on my computer, and at 1:00 PM it was lunch.
WED, DEC. 3RD - My parents dropped me off and helped me settle in at the hospital in the afternoon but nothing really happened for the rest of the evening. My nurse gave me a little orientation, and after a disgusting supper I watched some TV and eventually went to bed around 10:00 PM. I didn't have a very good sleep because hospitals are noisy places. There is a loud ceiling fan above my bed, and the nurses were constantly coming and going to check on my roommate on the other side of the curtain.
THU, DEC. 4TH - I got up at 6:00 AM when my nurse came to check my vital signs.
There is an old exercise bike in the hallway outside my room, so I began my day with a 30 minute ride, feeling pretty good! I followed that with a shower (down another hallway with a sign-up sheet on the door) and at 9:00 AM it was breakfast.
At 10:00 AM I was hooked up to my IV tower via the Hickman line in my chest, for my first chemo infusion. I am permanently attached now, and the only time I get unhooked is when I want to have a shower. My first chemo infusion began but it didn't really affect me. I did a few walking laps around the ward, played on my computer, and at 1:00 PM it was lunch.
My parents and two friends, Ashley and Amanda came by to hang out after supper. They brought me snacks and it was a nice finish to the day to see some more familiar faces!
I went to bed around 10:00 PM and had a better sleep due to my earplugs and a sleeping pill.
FRI, DEC. 5TH - I woke up at 6:00 AM again, when the nurse came to check my vitals and draw some blood. This is how my days always start. In fact, this happens multiple times throughout each day.
My morning was pretty much the same as Thursday - I went for a 30 minute ride on the exercise bike, had a shower, and then it was breakfast. At 10:00 AM I was given my first of three chemo infusions of the day, which wasn't very eventful. The nurse just hangs the chemo bag on my IV pole with all the other bags, and I continue with my daily business.
Today I wanted to find out how many laps of the ward I would have to walk to do a kilometer, but nobody seemed to know. Good thing being here is all about finding creative ways to fill the day: I did ten laps, counting my paces each time around, and figuring out the average. Then I found a straight hallway, and did some math to figure out the length of my average pace. I'll spare you the rest and let you know that if I do 8 laps of the ward, it is 1 km. I had kept track of my walking from the day before so I was able to figure out I had done 4 km. Today I did 3.5 km.
Keeping moving as much as possible is extremely important. It will help me get better faster than if I just lay around in bed, and can help to prevent nausea, and constipation, as well as circulation and lung problems.
My friend Kelli came by for a visit on Friday morning, which was really nice! She brought me a basket full of fresh fruit, snacks, and a copy of GQ Magazine, and helped me hang some Christmas lights up in my room.
The light-hanging was hilarious. I wanted to reach the roof, so I was balanced precariously with one foot on the arm of my chair and the other foot on top of my headboard when a nurse walked in, looking absolutely shocked. She stammered for a few seconds and then managed to get out - "I have a feeling you're going to do this even if I tell you to stop, aren't you?" I confirmed that her thinking was indeed true, and so she held the chair for stability and closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to watch. The end product looks pretty good though!
On Friday afternoon my parents came to visit. They left around suppertime and drove to pick up Kaitlin at the ferry, bringing her back to the hospital for a short evening visit. This point was when I was starting to begin to feel a bit draggy from my two days of chemo, so after we said our goodbyes I was in bed by 9:45 PM.
Kaitlin spent the day with me on Saturday, and it was so nice to have her here. We cut out some paper snowflakes to hang from the ceiling, had lunch together, and watched the movie Elf. Oh yeah... and of course we did lots of walking laps around the ward - I did 5km in total.
It was hard to say goodbye to her at dinnertime, especially since I was starting to feel even crappier from the chemo, but I was able to go to bed happy that she would be back in the morning.
FRI, DEC. 5TH - I woke up at 6:00 AM again, when the nurse came to check my vitals and draw some blood. This is how my days always start. In fact, this happens multiple times throughout each day.
My morning was pretty much the same as Thursday - I went for a 30 minute ride on the exercise bike, had a shower, and then it was breakfast. At 10:00 AM I was given my first of three chemo infusions of the day, which wasn't very eventful. The nurse just hangs the chemo bag on my IV pole with all the other bags, and I continue with my daily business.
Today I wanted to find out how many laps of the ward I would have to walk to do a kilometer, but nobody seemed to know. Good thing being here is all about finding creative ways to fill the day: I did ten laps, counting my paces each time around, and figuring out the average. Then I found a straight hallway, and did some math to figure out the length of my average pace. I'll spare you the rest and let you know that if I do 8 laps of the ward, it is 1 km. I had kept track of my walking from the day before so I was able to figure out I had done 4 km. Today I did 3.5 km.
Keeping moving as much as possible is extremely important. It will help me get better faster than if I just lay around in bed, and can help to prevent nausea, and constipation, as well as circulation and lung problems.
My friend Kelli came by for a visit on Friday morning, which was really nice! She brought me a basket full of fresh fruit, snacks, and a copy of GQ Magazine, and helped me hang some Christmas lights up in my room.
The light-hanging was hilarious. I wanted to reach the roof, so I was balanced precariously with one foot on the arm of my chair and the other foot on top of my headboard when a nurse walked in, looking absolutely shocked. She stammered for a few seconds and then managed to get out - "I have a feeling you're going to do this even if I tell you to stop, aren't you?" I confirmed that her thinking was indeed true, and so she held the chair for stability and closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to watch. The end product looks pretty good though!
SAT, DEC. 6TH - I woke up at 6:00 AM again (vitals check and blood test) and after a banana and some mixed nuts, I did half an hour on the exercise bike. At 7:30 AM I had a shower, and at 9:00 it was breakfast. I went for a walk around the ward and at 10:00 it was time for some more chemo.
Kaitlin spent the day with me on Saturday, and it was so nice to have her here. We cut out some paper snowflakes to hang from the ceiling, had lunch together, and watched the movie Elf. Oh yeah... and of course we did lots of walking laps around the ward - I did 5km in total.
It was hard to say goodbye to her at dinnertime, especially since I was starting to feel even crappier from the chemo, but I was able to go to bed happy that she would be back in the morning.
SUN, DEC. 7TH - Oh hey, that's today! I was awoken (as usual) at 6:00 AM for my vitals and blood test. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling up to a ride on the exercise bike so I fell asleep again until 7:30 and then had a shower. At 9:00 AM it was breakfast, and by mid-morning, Kaitlin was back for a visit. I can't even describe how much better I feel when she is here! We had a homemade lunch together, did some walking laps, cut out some more paper snowflakes, spent some time talking, and squeezed onto my tiny hospital bed for an afternoon nap together. Hey - that's what happens when you put a cancer patient and a pregnant lady together, right!?
Kaitlin had to leave by 2:30 PM to catch a ferry back to Victoria, but she will be back next weekend, and will be staying with my parents in Langley and visiting me here until I eventually get discharged. I hope this week goes by as fast as possible because all I want is her to be back here with me. I love you so much, Kaitlin Poynter!!!
Oh check it out - I had an afternoon visit from another Kaitlin today! I haven't seen this one since our UVIC graduation in 2012, so trading some stories and catching up was a lovely time. She also brought me some delicious food and saved from yet another nasty hospital meal. She also beat me at a game of cards.
I guess that's about it for now. I haven't gotten sick or nauseous from the chemotherapy yet, but as I mentioned, having it for 4 days in a row has begun to make me feel pretty crappy. I have a constant headache and tiredness weighing down on me, and I just feel kind of gross all the time.
I'd like to say a big thank-you to all the lovely people who have stopped by to visit and bring me food so far. Being here alone is tough, so having friends around is extremely helpful in terms of cheering me up and making each day go by faster.
Some Stats So Far
Distance Walked............................15.5 km
Stationary Bike.................................1 hour
Chemotherapy Infusions.........................10
Remaining Chemo Infusions....................4
Days until Transplant...............................3
That's all for now. My eyes are closing and I need to brush my teeth and head to bed soon.
Thanks for reading,
Christopher
Oh check it out - I had an afternoon visit from another Kaitlin today! I haven't seen this one since our UVIC graduation in 2012, so trading some stories and catching up was a lovely time. She also brought me some delicious food and saved from yet another nasty hospital meal. She also beat me at a game of cards.
I guess that's about it for now. I haven't gotten sick or nauseous from the chemotherapy yet, but as I mentioned, having it for 4 days in a row has begun to make me feel pretty crappy. I have a constant headache and tiredness weighing down on me, and I just feel kind of gross all the time.
I'd like to say a big thank-you to all the lovely people who have stopped by to visit and bring me food so far. Being here alone is tough, so having friends around is extremely helpful in terms of cheering me up and making each day go by faster.
Some Stats So Far
Distance Walked............................15.5 km
Stationary Bike.................................1 hour
Chemotherapy Infusions.........................10
Remaining Chemo Infusions....................4
Days until Transplant...............................3
That's all for now. My eyes are closing and I need to brush my teeth and head to bed soon.
Thanks for reading,
Christopher
Kick butt and take names! Keep fighting rockstar!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amanda!! WAM!! BAM!! Take THAT, Lymphoma!! ;)
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