Before I describe much more I want to tell those of you who have cancer, read this blog and may be considering a stem cell transplant that everyones treatment process is unique. As we have talked to others in Dr. Collins clinic in the waiting room we have come to realize that. We talked to a man today that had a different type of blood cancer. Even though Dr. Collins is his physician his treatment has been very different from Doug's.
So don't read this blog through May if reading would give you more concern than comfort. The same Master Physician that is guiding us will guide you but may take you in an entirely different direction. Our intent in sharing our journey is so that our friends and family can keep up with what is going on with us and know how to pray. We are not describing a standard treatment for blood cancers nor for multiple myeloma or a stem cell/bone marrow transplant.
Today we had to be at the clinic by 9:30 for 7 hours of sitting. Doug was in a private area and usheredd into what has become known to us as a chemo chair. His chemo nurse’s name was Debbie. Right away she made us both feel as much at ease as is possible under the circumstance. I had taken lots of reading materials and sat in a chair across the room from Doug.
First he received an infusion of saline solution to hydrate his system. You’ve all seen how the bags hang from a moveable pole with hooks on them. When that bag was empty they brought a smaller bag that contained an anti-nausea medication Zofran combined with 10 mg Dexamethasone, the latter of which he has taken orally since November and doesn’t like how it makes him feel.
When those drips were complete Debbie brought in a large bag that she referred to as a heavy dose chemo, 7600 mg of Cytoxin. (This is not the "sledge hammer" chemo Dr. Collins told us about in his initial consult. Just an extra one he determined Doug needed prior to the stem cell harvest. The hammer comes down May 20th if we stay on schedule.)
I asked Debbie if it were true that the poison goes right through Doug’s heart. She said, “ Yes. Think of the heart as a washing machine. Your heart swishes the blood around inside and when the heart beats, through muscular action with a whoosh ejects the poision out of the heart into the system as waste. It's done its job and needs to leave the body.”
The reason she wanted Doug to drink water while receiving the fluids during this process is that the bladder serves as a holding tank for waste. She wants him to get Cytoxin out of his system as quickly as possible so that it won’t irritate his bladder.
Doug was hungry so I went up to the Food Court to get us both something to eat. Soon after we finished eating a lady named Nellie introduced herself as being the representative from Cater Blood Care organization. She will be doing the stem cell harvest, holding of the cells for 24 hours, then returning them to Doug through infusion in his central line. The harvest part of the process is scheduled for May 13th.
Nellie told us that when she was young she wanted to be a nurse but she hated the sight of blood. She got married and had a child. At age 22 job she got a job at the blood bank where she became fascinated with blood science. (I’d guess her to be in her late 40’s now.) She worked some in the mobile clinics with donors and eventually worked up to be the regional supervisor. She admitted to becoming bored after awhile so when the opportunity came to her three years ago to transfer to the stem cell team she did so. She now feels she has the big picture of the entire process.
She had papers for Doug to read, a questionnaire to fill out, and need of his signature. She answered our questions and said she will see us in a few weeks.
When the chemo bag was empty they brought in one more bag of saline solution. During this entire process Doug could walk from the chemo room with his pole to the men’s room!
When the last bag was empty Debbie brought in a suite case that had the largest bag of fluids yet. It contained several gallons of what Debbie told us was just hydration fluid to help flush out the Cytoxyn.
A tube from the one end of the bag went into a computer that is about the size of a paper back book. The tube from the other end went into a tube connected to one of the “straws” running into Doug’s central line. Thus he was connected to his suite case! It was on wheels. When he walked and pulled it behind him he looked like he was heading to the airport.
His dressing was changed before we left and it looks real good. He has three different medications for nausea but has not felt the need for them yet.
~Carole
