First Day of Chemo (Feb. 10, 2006)
Today was the day Laurie had hoped to avoid when we first learned of her cancer--the beginning of chemotherapy. We were pretty well resigned to the need for this part of her treatment, but were still apprehensive about the effects of chemo on her body. Our good friend Joan Kanne, who had gone through chemotherapy for breast cancer a little over three years earlier, drove Laurie down to the Sammons Breast Cancer Center at Baylor Hospital. Jim joined them from the Seminary.
We met with Dr. O'Shaughnessy at 11:15 a.m. What an encouragement she is! We discovered that she was not yet sure what our decision was going to be regarding chemo and she was delighted that we had agreed to proceed with the chemo regimen she had proposed. Her demeanor revealed that she believed that chemo was a necessary part of the treatment to give Laurie the best chance of a complete cure of her cancer. We were encouraged that her initial proposal on the specific combination of chemotherapy drugs was still her best recommendation for Laurie's particular cancer. She was very encouraging about Laurie's long-term prognosis. After a brief exam and consult, we headed downstairs to the infusion lab.
We had visited the infusion lab on Wednesday. Today we were prepared for a four- to five-hour stay. Laurie had a light snack while we sat in the waiting area. At about 12:30, the chemo nurse called Laurie's name. We took the short walk back to the infusion lab. A number of small cubicles lined the walls. We were surprised to see a woman named Miki receiving a chemo infusion in the same room. Earlier in the fall, Miki sold us a small used car at the Saturn of Mesquite auto dealership. We had no idea at the time that she was undergoing treatments for breast cancer. It is indeed a small world.
Our chemo nurse's name was Lee. Lee was almost eight months pregnant, but still overseeing several chemo infusions in the lab. She worked with us to finalize some paperwork (you'd think we were buying a house!), and spent several minutes going over the various drugs Laurie would receive throughout the afternoon. She reviewed the side effects of each and the ways that the staff planned to help Laurie manage those side-effects. Later, while Laurie was receiving her infusion, Lee went over each of the prescription we had received to manage potential side effects. She did a wonderful job clearly explaining the use and indications for each drug--in plain English!
The IV pump was set up with four bags of drugs. The first contained supporting medications that would help Laurie deal with the actual chemotherapy drugs themselves. One of those drugs was designed to help her relax while at the same time providing antinausea help. The second bag contained a saline solution designed to flush the system and Laurie's veins between each infusion of drugs. The last two bags contained the actual chemo drugs themselves, Taxotere and Cytoxan. Taxotere is administered first and Cytoxan last. Ideally the infusion process lasts about 2-1/2 hours. Once the IV pump was set, the process began. It was about 1:30 p.m.
The process went smoothly. The only hitch was an allergic reaction Laurie had to the Taxotere. She became immediately flushed and short of breath. Fortunately this is not an uncommon reaction to the drug the first time it is administered and the nurse is well-schooled in dealing with such a reaction. A brief suspension of the infusion was followed by an injection of benadryl. Once the allergic reaction subsided, the infusion of Taxotere was resumed and Laurie had no further problems. However, the process was slowed down and consequently, it was 4:30 p.m before the infusion of Taxotere was complete and the Cytoxan infusion began. Laurie had no further problems and in fact slept for about 1-1/2 hours (one of the side effects of the antinausea drugs :-) ). We were finished by 5:00 p.m. and headed home.
As Jim wrote this, Laurie fell asleep in the living room. She wanted to watch the Winter Olympics and managed to stay awake for most of the evening. We prayed for a good night's sleep for her and a good day on Saturday. We were armed with a host of prescription medications to alleviate any of the potential side effects and will use them as necessary.
One down, three more to go! Thank you Lord for getting us through this day!
We met with Dr. O'Shaughnessy at 11:15 a.m. What an encouragement she is! We discovered that she was not yet sure what our decision was going to be regarding chemo and she was delighted that we had agreed to proceed with the chemo regimen she had proposed. Her demeanor revealed that she believed that chemo was a necessary part of the treatment to give Laurie the best chance of a complete cure of her cancer. We were encouraged that her initial proposal on the specific combination of chemotherapy drugs was still her best recommendation for Laurie's particular cancer. She was very encouraging about Laurie's long-term prognosis. After a brief exam and consult, we headed downstairs to the infusion lab.
We had visited the infusion lab on Wednesday. Today we were prepared for a four- to five-hour stay. Laurie had a light snack while we sat in the waiting area. At about 12:30, the chemo nurse called Laurie's name. We took the short walk back to the infusion lab. A number of small cubicles lined the walls. We were surprised to see a woman named Miki receiving a chemo infusion in the same room. Earlier in the fall, Miki sold us a small used car at the Saturn of Mesquite auto dealership. We had no idea at the time that she was undergoing treatments for breast cancer. It is indeed a small world.
Our chemo nurse's name was Lee. Lee was almost eight months pregnant, but still overseeing several chemo infusions in the lab. She worked with us to finalize some paperwork (you'd think we were buying a house!), and spent several minutes going over the various drugs Laurie would receive throughout the afternoon. She reviewed the side effects of each and the ways that the staff planned to help Laurie manage those side-effects. Later, while Laurie was receiving her infusion, Lee went over each of the prescription we had received to manage potential side effects. She did a wonderful job clearly explaining the use and indications for each drug--in plain English!
The IV pump was set up with four bags of drugs. The first contained supporting medications that would help Laurie deal with the actual chemotherapy drugs themselves. One of those drugs was designed to help her relax while at the same time providing antinausea help. The second bag contained a saline solution designed to flush the system and Laurie's veins between each infusion of drugs. The last two bags contained the actual chemo drugs themselves, Taxotere and Cytoxan. Taxotere is administered first and Cytoxan last. Ideally the infusion process lasts about 2-1/2 hours. Once the IV pump was set, the process began. It was about 1:30 p.m.
The process went smoothly. The only hitch was an allergic reaction Laurie had to the Taxotere. She became immediately flushed and short of breath. Fortunately this is not an uncommon reaction to the drug the first time it is administered and the nurse is well-schooled in dealing with such a reaction. A brief suspension of the infusion was followed by an injection of benadryl. Once the allergic reaction subsided, the infusion of Taxotere was resumed and Laurie had no further problems. However, the process was slowed down and consequently, it was 4:30 p.m before the infusion of Taxotere was complete and the Cytoxan infusion began. Laurie had no further problems and in fact slept for about 1-1/2 hours (one of the side effects of the antinausea drugs :-) ). We were finished by 5:00 p.m. and headed home.
As Jim wrote this, Laurie fell asleep in the living room. She wanted to watch the Winter Olympics and managed to stay awake for most of the evening. We prayed for a good night's sleep for her and a good day on Saturday. We were armed with a host of prescription medications to alleviate any of the potential side effects and will use them as necessary.
One down, three more to go! Thank you Lord for getting us through this day!
posted by Laurie Thames | 8:51 PM
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