Sorry I didn't update yesterday, but the internet was down in the hospital until this morning. I don't think I can get it all in chronological order, but here's the scoop:
We arrived at the hospital around 9:00 yesterday morning. About 10:30, we were taken down to the Radiology department to have them insert the PICC line. After being down there for about 10 minutes, they told us that they were not going to do it down there, and then took us up to my room. I have a nice suite. It is much larger than most hospital rooms. It has a fold-out couch (and according to Rob, it's VERY UNCOMFORTABLE), an arm chair, large bathroom, 2 TV's and a DVD player. We also have a great view of seeing the helicopters taking off and some restaurants and streets.
While waiting for them to come get me the lab tech came in. She had to take blood. I told her I thought that was the point of the PICC line so I wouldn't have to be stuck anymore. She said they had to take blood before they could do the PICC line. She filled up 4 tubes. Well, around 1:00 pm, they came and got me for my PICC line. I was waiting for my lunch to arrive so I wasn't real thrilled
that they came to get me before that, but you just kind of have to go with the flow. They took me down to the radiology department (different one) and got me ready to go. They did the ultrasound on my arm to locate a vein and she showed me how they open and close. It was really cool. After waiting around for awhile, the PA came in and said he was ready to go. The worst part of it was the shot they gave me to numb it. After it was numb, they took off and put it in. I could see my chest ultrasound on the TV monitor in front of me and saw them slide in the line to my heart. It was so neat to see. They stitched me up and I was sent back up to the room. My lunch still wasn't there. I asked my nurse and she said she would check on it. We waited and my stomach growled.
About 4:30 pm, the nurse came in and said they were going to start my medication. They started me out with Mesna which was a coating medication. It basically works to coat my organs to protect them from the chemo. At about 5:30, they came in and started the chemo. It is called Cytoxin. They run it with the Mesna and it runs about 3-4 hours. The Mesna runs 24 hours a day. They also put in some medication using a syringe, but I'm not sure what that was. They also brought me 19 pills to take. Again, this is funny because I can only swallow one pill at a time. I was one of those kids that couldn't swallow a pill until high school, and sometimes they still get stuck. One of the pills was about the size of my thumb too! Oh, and I was STILL STARVING!!
FINALLY, my nurse rescued a cheeseburger and fries from downstairs for me. I ate it and about 30 minutes later, dinner showed up. It was funny, but I was so hungry that I ate it too. It wasn't to shabby for hospital food.
The nurse came in and went over some guidelines for visitors and things. I am considered "Neutropathic". This means that I am very prone to infection because my white blood count is so low. So, anyone who comes to visit must wash their hands upon entering my room, if they have any type of illness (even allergies) they are asked to wear a mask or not come visit until they have been clear for 48 hours, no plants or flowers in my room because of the chemicals that are used on them, I have to wear a mask whenever I am out of my room, my door has to stay shut to keep germs out, and I can't eat any fresh fruits or vegetables.
About 8:00 pm my doctor came in to check on me. She said that the rest of my tests looked good. Not really sure what "good" means, but she wasn't concerned with anything on them, so that made us happy. She also said she was glad that my white blood count is not dropping the way that it normally would. It has slowed down which is already an answer to prayer. It was dropping about .5/week and this past week it only dropped .1. A normal WBC is 4.0-11.0 and mine yesterday was 1.9. She told me that we were going to do the lumbar puncture around 7:30 this morning. I told her I don't do mornings, and she said she usually does them around 5:30 am, so I told her 7:30 would be just fine!
I finally got my last pills around 10:30 last night and was able to go to bed. Of course, it couldn't go simply. About the time I finally fell asleep, my IV pump started beeping. My dosage was over so we had to call the nurse in to come fix it. She did and back to sleep we go. About the time I fell asleep again, the other IV pump started beeping (yes I have 2 pumps going at once- 3 bags going at once). Again, we had to call the nurse. Only this time it was me. I had fallen asleep on the IV tube and had folded it so the chemo couldn't get through...oops! Finally, I think we are going to get some sleep. Not quite...at 3:45 am, the nurse came in and said she needed to get some blood from me. This is where I LOVE my PICC line. She just hooked up to that and took it out. I couldn't even feel it. She took out about 4 syringes full. She left and I close my eyes. About 4:00 am, she came back and said she needed more. She had to fill up 26 of those tubes. I'm not sure what they needed 26 tubes for, but they got it. I thought surely that was it for the night, but I was wrong. About 10 minutes later, they came in and asked me the lovely question of about how many times I had gone to the bathroom...REALLY??? They couldn't wait until like 6:00??? We never went back to sleep.
Well, around 7:30, Dr. Lee came in and sent Rob away. He wasn't allowed to stay during the lumbar puncture, so he decided to go do a local job in town. She got me all set up and started the procedure. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I still think it was worse than the bone marrow procedure. She got the needle in but no fluid would come out, so they had to do it again between two other disks. She evidently hit a nerve in there because my left leg spasmed. She drew out the fluid and said it was clear so that is good. She then changed out the syringe (using the same needle) and inserted chemo directly into my spine. I asked her if this was just a one time chemo, and she said no that I would have to get it every time I was in the hospital, so I will have to have lumbar punctures every 3 weeks...ugh!! I had to lay flat on my back for 4 hours after the procedure. I fell asleep for awhile, but then the nurse came in and had me take 19 pills again. I had to sit up to take these and that made me get a headache. I also couldn't get out of the bed, and after drinking the 2 glasses of water to get all the pills down, it wasn't exactly a fun couple of hours to wait. I couldn't go back to sleep after she woke me up. They came in and gave me a shot of Demerol for my headache and that helped a little bit. I had to have another one later and I still have a small headache.
Just a quick side note. I just want everyone to know how great of a husband I have. He has stood by me through all of this and has been there for every ache and pain I have had. He rubbed my head today to help get rid of my headache even though he was exhausted himself. He has fetched me water and helped me hike my IV pole to the bathroom about 1,000 times- even in the middle of the night. He is the spiritual leader in our home and someone I am so thankful to have in my life.
That's pretty much the scoop for the past two days. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. In this process, we have come across some other people who are also in need of prayer, so if you don't mind, when you pray for me, can you also mention these people:
James (knot in neck, needle biopsy did not reveal anything so they will have to surgically remove it)
Marty (the Chaplin at the hospital's sister diagnosed last week with breast cancer)
Sullivan Farrar (leukemia) http://www.sullivanfarrar.com/
We arrived at the hospital around 9:00 yesterday morning. About 10:30, we were taken down to the Radiology department to have them insert the PICC line. After being down there for about 10 minutes, they told us that they were not going to do it down there, and then took us up to my room. I have a nice suite. It is much larger than most hospital rooms. It has a fold-out couch (and according to Rob, it's VERY UNCOMFORTABLE), an arm chair, large bathroom, 2 TV's and a DVD player. We also have a great view of seeing the helicopters taking off and some restaurants and streets.
While waiting for them to come get me the lab tech came in. She had to take blood. I told her I thought that was the point of the PICC line so I wouldn't have to be stuck anymore. She said they had to take blood before they could do the PICC line. She filled up 4 tubes. Well, around 1:00 pm, they came and got me for my PICC line. I was waiting for my lunch to arrive so I wasn't real thrilled
that they came to get me before that, but you just kind of have to go with the flow. They took me down to the radiology department (different one) and got me ready to go. They did the ultrasound on my arm to locate a vein and she showed me how they open and close. It was really cool. After waiting around for awhile, the PA came in and said he was ready to go. The worst part of it was the shot they gave me to numb it. After it was numb, they took off and put it in. I could see my chest ultrasound on the TV monitor in front of me and saw them slide in the line to my heart. It was so neat to see. They stitched me up and I was sent back up to the room. My lunch still wasn't there. I asked my nurse and she said she would check on it. We waited and my stomach growled.About 4:30 pm, the nurse came in and said they were going to start my medication. They started me out with Mesna which was a coating medication. It basically works to coat my organs to protect them from the chemo. At about 5:30, they came in and started the chemo. It is called Cytoxin. They run it with the Mesna and it runs about 3-4 hours. The Mesna runs 24 hours a day. They also put in some medication using a syringe, but I'm not sure what that was. They also brought me 19 pills to take. Again, this is funny because I can only swallow one pill at a time. I was one of those kids that couldn't swallow a pill until high school, and sometimes they still get stuck. One of the pills was about the size of my thumb too! Oh, and I was STILL STARVING!!
FINALLY, my nurse rescued a cheeseburger and fries from downstairs for me. I ate it and about 30 minutes later, dinner showed up. It was funny, but I was so hungry that I ate it too. It wasn't to shabby for hospital food.
The nurse came in and went over some guidelines for visitors and things. I am considered "Neutropathic". This means that I am very prone to infection because my white blood count is so low. So, anyone who comes to visit must wash their hands upon entering my room, if they have any type of illness (even allergies) they are asked to wear a mask or not come visit until they have been clear for 48 hours, no plants or flowers in my room because of the chemicals that are used on them, I have to wear a mask whenever I am out of my room, my door has to stay shut to keep germs out, and I can't eat any fresh fruits or vegetables.About 8:00 pm my doctor came in to check on me. She said that the rest of my tests looked good. Not really sure what "good" means, but she wasn't concerned with anything on them, so that made us happy. She also said she was glad that my white blood count is not dropping the way that it normally would. It has slowed down which is already an answer to prayer. It was dropping about .5/week and this past week it only dropped .1. A normal WBC is 4.0-11.0 and mine yesterday was 1.9. She told me that we were going to do the lumbar puncture around 7:30 this morning. I told her I don't do mornings, and she said she usually does them around 5:30 am, so I told her 7:30 would be just fine!
I finally got my last pills around 10:30 last night and was able to go to bed. Of course, it couldn't go simply. About the time I finally fell asleep, my IV pump started beeping. My dosage was over so we had to call the nurse in to come fix it. She did and back to sleep we go. About the time I fell asleep again, the other IV pump started beeping (yes I have 2 pumps going at once- 3 bags going at once). Again, we had to call the nurse. Only this time it was me. I had fallen asleep on the IV tube and had folded it so the chemo couldn't get through...oops! Finally, I think we are going to get some sleep. Not quite...at 3:45 am, the nurse came in and said she needed to get some blood from me. This is where I LOVE my PICC line. She just hooked up to that and took it out. I couldn't even feel it. She took out about 4 syringes full. She left and I close my eyes. About 4:00 am, she came back and said she needed more. She had to fill up 26 of those tubes. I'm not sure what they needed 26 tubes for, but they got it. I thought surely that was it for the night, but I was wrong. About 10 minutes later, they came in and asked me the lovely question of about how many times I had gone to the bathroom...REALLY??? They couldn't wait until like 6:00??? We never went back to sleep.Well, around 7:30, Dr. Lee came in and sent Rob away. He wasn't allowed to stay during the lumbar puncture, so he decided to go do a local job in town. She got me all set up and started the procedure. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I still think it was worse than the bone marrow procedure. She got the needle in but no fluid would come out, so they had to do it again between two other disks. She evidently hit a nerve in there because my left leg spasmed. She drew out the fluid and said it was clear so that is good. She then changed out the syringe (using the same needle) and inserted chemo directly into my spine. I asked her if this was just a one time chemo, and she said no that I would have to get it every time I was in the hospital, so I will have to have lumbar punctures every 3 weeks...ugh!! I had to lay flat on my back for 4 hours after the procedure. I fell asleep for awhile, but then the nurse came in and had me take 19 pills again. I had to sit up to take these and that made me get a headache. I also couldn't get out of the bed, and after drinking the 2 glasses of water to get all the pills down, it wasn't exactly a fun couple of hours to wait. I couldn't go back to sleep after she woke me up. They came in and gave me a shot of Demerol for my headache and that helped a little bit. I had to have another one later and I still have a small headache.
Just a quick side note. I just want everyone to know how great of a husband I have. He has stood by me through all of this and has been there for every ache and pain I have had. He rubbed my head today to help get rid of my headache even though he was exhausted himself. He has fetched me water and helped me hike my IV pole to the bathroom about 1,000 times- even in the middle of the night. He is the spiritual leader in our home and someone I am so thankful to have in my life.
That's pretty much the scoop for the past two days. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. In this process, we have come across some other people who are also in need of prayer, so if you don't mind, when you pray for me, can you also mention these people:
James (knot in neck, needle biopsy did not reveal anything so they will have to surgically remove it)
Marty (the Chaplin at the hospital's sister diagnosed last week with breast cancer)
Sullivan Farrar (leukemia) http://www.sullivanfarrar.com/
With God, WE WILL BEAT THIS!!
8 comments:
I am new to blogger.com, and I came across your blog tonight. I am praying for you and your family!
If you have a minute, read Psalm 121.
God bless you!
Glad they are treating you well. Text me your room number...I have to come up there today to see a friend who was in a wreck last night-bad deal..father of three kiddos, t-ball coach, great husband. We are saying a LOT of prayers here lately. Luv-Luv-I'm still trying to figure out your song & I want a couple of pins...MissT:)
B-Nessa! I luv to read your posts cause you are so "informative"!! I wish all the time I was there in town with you and by the time I am done reading your updates, I feel like I was!! HAHAHAHAHA! Hang in there girlie!!! Luv ya!
Vanessa, You make me laugh :) and cry :( reading your blog. I hate that you are going through this but love that you still have your sense of humor. And I'm so glad you have Rob and those sweet girls. You're a blessing. I think of y'all many times every day and always pray.
Hey girl,
I so empathized with you on most of what you went through on this one. When I was in the hospital about a month ago, I was neutropenic, too. My white blood cell count got down to 0.9 because I had some kind of virus infection (which they still don't know what it really was). And, they had to give me Darvoset, also. Just don't let them put you on "no food by mouth" accidently, like they did me one day. I thought that's where you were going when you didn't get your lunch...HA HA
I feel for you and can't imagine what I had for only about week would be for a longer term like you are going through. Tell Rob thanks for taking such good care of you. And, when y'all have a breaking point in all this (which I did with my family), listen to that small voice that God is saying "Don't give up, I'm here!" Love ya girl!
Oh, BTW, God still heals...I'm normal on my platelet count and I'm totally healed! Yesterday's results from the lab confirmed it.
ONLY THROUGH HIM WILL WE BEAT THIS!
Hey Vanessa,
Just want you to know that you are my new hero. When you have reason to complain, your heart still shines!! I am glad that God blessed you with an awesome family just in time. Hopefully see you soon.
Hey, sis.
If you get bored and want to have some fun, unplug the heart monitors from your self. It's great watching the nurses run in. Or play with the buttons on the monitors and watch them try to figure out what happen. Hey been there. It get's very boring and you have to entertain yourself. The nurses get mad, but you leave, they'll tell you they had a blast. When they try to wake you up, just lay there. LOl I loved that one, but then I again, I always seem to get in trouble.
I wish I could come visit with ya this week-end. I'll be up from New Orleans, but I may get us all kicked out of the hospital. LOL
Love you, Sis. Oh yea! Check out the picture of Robert on my blog. You'll get a good belly laugh out of it. Yea, I'm up to no good again at the expense of my baby brother.
Hey Sweetie,
Jen's been keeping me posted and I just wanted you to know that you and your family have been in my prayers. You have such great spirit and that is going to get you through this....That and your dear husband. What a guy! Know that you are in my prayers and that you are on my mind. Love to all of you, Jan Doege (Jen's mother in law, or as she says, OJ...Other Jan!)
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