Day 8 First Chemo Round - Gemcitabine

So I had to arrive at the Cancer Centre for 11:00 a.m. in order to have my blood tested. My chemo was due to start at 1 p.m.  I arrived early so that I could drop by the Tuck Shop where I have worked and am currently on sick leave. It was great to see my co-workers and the volunteers that I've worked with! My daughter was with me today. I was so proud to introduce her to the people I know.

Five years ago, my daughter was in Grade 9 and wanted to spend a day with me back then while I underwent chemo. I did not allow her to miss school to do that. Today, she came as an adult and recognized that it is a long and somewhat boring day. She was glad that I had some sudoku puzzles to help her pass the time (said with a smile). I was so happy to have her support!

When I was finally called in to the chemo lab and directed to my chair, I was told that my neutraphils were low. The chemo may not happen. What are neutraphils?! I never really did find out until after I got home and looked it up. Neutraphils are your white blood cell count. If it's low, then the risk of infection is greater.  The blood work also showed that I was dehydrated from my nausea. On top of all that, I was supposed to take 2 Dexamethasone pills before starting the Gemcitabine. The Dexamethasone pills are the ones that dissolve going down and contributed greatly to my vomitting last week.  After much consultation with the doctor, the pharmacist and my chemo nurse, it was decided that I could go ahead with the chemo. We got the Dexamethasone pills into me using yogurt to help slide them down my throat. I felt like my cat must feel when we have to give him pills! The Gemcitabine was injected along with a saline solution to hydrate me. What I expected to be a 1:00-3:00 duration in the chemo lab ended up being 1:00-4:00 p.m. However, the good news is that it got done. I'm done now until Day 1 of the next cycle. I'll just have to see what side effects are going to occur this week.

Hubby, my daughter and I all went home to eat some supper and then celebrate by going out for an ice cream cone. Did you know that ice cream can count as a liquid?! Bring it on!!!!  I decided that I will start a liquid intake journal so that I can track whether I'm getting my full 8 glasses of liquid a day. Also after getting home, I decided to research what foods will help the neutraphils raise their numbers. I found a website that I will be using to create a grocery list so that I have these foods on hand. Knowledge is power! We fight this disease with knowledge and power.

I also found out today that on Friday, I will get my pic line. That'll be easier on my veins....not so much pricking and less scar tissue on my veins.

Overall, it was a good day.

Day 7 First Chemo Round

Well, after 2 days of feeling absolutely miserable, I had a good day. I awoke about 7:30 a.m. due to my cat wanting to be fed. I got up and was feeling a little queasy as I fed him.  Was it queasiness or emptiness due to hunger. The difference being, the thought of toast, butter and jam didn't make me want to run for a washroom. So I tentatively had some toast and jam and then went back to bed. I awoke again and was hungry so this time, I had some turkey broth. Two hours later, I had some Mr. Noodles (aka chicken ramen noodles). My hubby made some bran muffins and I had half of one. It stayed down. Over the course of the afternoon, I realized that when my stomach was feeling unsettled, it was more that I was hungry. So I had another full bran muffin and then some more chicken Mr. Noodles to tie me over until dinner time.

Hubby even decided to try to make my water a little more palatable by adding a bit of Lemon Iced Tea mix. Just enough to remove the chlorine taste. It worked!

I have had a good day. I even had a small second helping of Shepherd's Pie at dinner. We'll see how that all sits.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. It has helped and the sun has shone on me today. It's been a good day!

Day 6 First Chemo Round

This will be a short post. Nausea, nausea, nausea. I am struggling to drink fluids...they all taste like chlorine. The thought of food makes my stomach roll. Scared. Afraid of being dehydrated. Terrified of Monday's next dose of Gemcitabine.

Day 5 First Chemo Round

I had a much better sleep last night and as a result, I awoke feeling much better. I decided to start with a piece of toast for my breakfast because I have to have food before taking my morning meds. Everything was going well until time to take the Dexamethasone pills. These are tiny white 5-sided pills and I have to take 10 of them. These dissolve as they go down the throat. Once those pills are gone, then I have to take my Allopurinol to help clear the kidneys of the cancer cells. I took them this morning. The good thing was the water tasted better this morning. Bad thing....I had to run for the washroom and lost all my breakfast and the pills. I have no more Dexamethasone to take. My stomach is grumbly from the upset.

However, on the upside, I am still feeling better than I did yesterday. I'm just a little hesitant to add food or water or anything to my stomach. I still like my turkey broth so this morning around 10:30, I heated some up to help settle my stomach and get some nourishment.

I spent time this morning responding to emails and comments from the last couple of days when I didn't feel so good. My mind is a little more alert today than yesterday. I even worked on my knitting although I was struggling to follow the pattern. Maybe I'm not as alert as I thought today. I finished the book "Firefly Lane" today. I was a little restless and tired of working on Sudoku and crossword puzzles. However, the stomach was still a little roly poly.

Another good thing was at supper, my hubby brought home Indian food. This is our Friday night tradition although we normally go to the restaurant and enjoy the meal out. We had planned to have the food brought in tonight. All day, even with a sensitive stomach, I was looking forward to my Mulligatawny Soup, a little bit of naan bread and maybe trying some of the Darbar Rice and the Mixed Vegetables. Just before hubby arrived home, I was concerned that I might not be able to handle any of the mild food as my stomach was rolling. It was just a sign that I was hungry. I enjoyed my soup but left some for lunch for tomorrow. I enjoyed a tiny bit of rice, mixed vegetables and naan. I was full but so happy that I was able to enjoy the taste and the food stayed down.

So overall, today was a better day. I still have to make sure I'm drinking lots of liquids to flush out the kidneys. That has been a bit of a challenge but with the nourishment of soup and broth, I think I'm meeting my 8 glasses a day. Today I also had some juice boxes. The water still wasn't as good as I normally enjoy it. Maybe I'm just getting tired of water.

So here's hoping that I'm on an upswing for the weekend. On Monday, I'll be going for the last of my chemo for this cycle. I'm trying not to think about it and just enjoy my weekend.

P.S.  I took my anti-nausea supplemental pill at 8:30 like always and then I lost the battle with the nausea at 10:30. So now here I am at 12:54 a.m. after having taken the next pill at 12:30 and hoping I can keep everything down.

Day 4 First Chemo Cycle

Last night when I posted on Day 3, I spoke a little too soon. The nausea has arrived. I did not sleep well. The Prochlorperazine lasted just 4 1/2 hours so I was awake at 2 a.m. with a rolling stomach. I got up took the next dose as I am allowed to take them every 4 to 6 hours as required. It took until 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. before I was able to settle back down in bed to sleep. I was so tired! But the stomach would not let me lay down.

I don't know if it is because I'm more tired but this morning it was a struggle. But...on the bright side, my son came home last night after I was in bed (about 11 p.m.) and so I enjoyed some really nice time with him this morning. It was OK to just be in the moment with him regardless of how I was feeling.

The rest of the day pretty much was the same. I am not hungry. Water tastes like straight chlorine. I tried my ginger tea, but it also tasted like just chlorine. I had some turkey broth at lunch which was OK. I did manage to get a juice box into me. The taste buds seem to be off along with the nausea in full bloom. I slept and read, slept and read today. I couldn't concentrate to do any puzzles or do much surfing on the computer.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Day 3 First Chemo Cycle

Last night I tried to be proactive in fighting the side effect of constipation with is associated with a number of the medicines that have been pumped into me. I took a dose of Senokot last night as per the directions on the package. At 4 a.m. my insides started to gripe a little, so I was up and ready until about 6:15. After feeding my cat, Frodo, and changing his water, I went back to bed. I slept right through until 8:15 when my hubby woke me up to take my next chemo meds. With my breakfast, I had to take 1 Allopurinol pill and 10 Dexamethasone pills. The Dexamethasone side effect on me is my mind races (more than usual) and my speech speeds up. I had to apologize to anyone I spoke to today as even I noticed I had a "running mouth". Anyone who knows me when I've had multiple cups of coffee, has witnessed something similar. The side effect of the medication is worse. At least I was able to laugh about it and recognize what was happening. Thankfully, the people I was talking to on the phone, regarding various upcoming appointments at the Cancer Clinic, were very understanding and able to chuckle along with me.

I sent my hubby back to work today. I am at home for the next number of days and today, I felt like I could take care of myself.  My appetite is slightly off due to the nausea. I find that eating smaller, lighter meals has helped. I still have to drink 8 cups of clear liquid or more every day to flush out the kidneys and help flush the chemo meds out of my system.  I made my oatmeal this morning and found I could only eat half of it.  I had no interest in snacks of any kind. For lunch, I had some of my turkey broth with a piece of toast and more water. I had water throughout the day and also some juice boxes. I was starting to get tired of water.

I passed my day doing some knitting, to keep my legs warm. I was feeling cold for most of the day. I had a very nice visit on the phone with my minister. I read outside in the shade of my front porch for a little bit until the sun came around. Then I moved to the patio in the back where there was finally a strip of shade that would fit my chair. I got tired of reading and would get a headache and be tired. But due to the revved up mind on the Dexamethasone, I would go on the computer and surf the internet looking up information on stem cell transplants. When I came across information that was a little disturbing, I then went onto Facebook and surfed for a bit. While on Facebook, I reconnected with a friend that I had lost contact with. It was nice. Later about 3 p.m., my stomach started to feel queasy again, so I had some toast and jam. That settled it down. I worked on some word puzzles and did more knitting. Then it was time for supper and again, I only wanted turkey broth. It tastes good to me right now.

After supper, hubby and I went for a short walk around the block. We were considering going further but I was afraid of getting tired before getting home again. So we cut the walk short and watched the Blue Jays game on TV.  Just as we were leaving the house to go for our walk, there was a FedEx box leaned against the side of the door. It was from my sister!! I brought it inside to open up after our walk.

So when I got home, I opened up my "care package". My sister was so thoughtful!! She sent me lip balm for when my lips will dry up due to the chemo. She sent me intensive dry skin repair hand cream, knowing that my hands will be dry from all the hand washing and hand sanitizing that has to take place at the moment. She even thought of sending a moisturizing mouth spray, knowing that I will have dry mouth! She sent candies to share with my hubby and she also sent some books that she had just finished reading! I'll keep them to return to her for my nieces to read. This was a real lift today!! I have always adored my little sister and we live so far apart that we don't get to see each other very often. I called her tonight and we had a really nice conversation. It looks like we might even get to see each other at some point during my treatments!

Overall today went well. I haven't had to take the supplemental anti-nausea meds called Prochlorperazine. The Dexamethasone is supposed to help combat the nausea. So we'll see how tomorrow goes. I may take the Prochlorperazine as a precaution before bedtime tonight. At this point, each day is a new experience in the chemo cycle. I feel I handled Day 3 well.

Day 2 First Chemo Cycle - Gemcitabine, Dexamethasone, Cisplatin

I didn't sleep well last night. I'm still experiencing the abdominal pain that has plagued me since April although it is getting worse. I arrived at the Cancer Centre at 9 a.m. and was immediately showed to my "chair". As always, they started off with a saline solution to clear my vein and intravenous site. The nurse also gave me the "little yellow football pill" which is Ondansetron to help combat nausea and vomiting. Then, the nurse hydrated me in preparation for the Gemcitabine, Dexamethasone and the Cisplatin. I felt really good during the process today. I was able to joke with the nurses and various employees walking by who recognized me from my job in the Tuck Shop. Some were shocked to see me and spent some time visiting. They had not realized that this was a relapsed lymphoma for me.

I was in the Cancer Clinic from 9 a.m. through to 2:30 p.m. What a compliment it was to have my nurse celebrating that she had me for a patient today. After talking to some of the other nurses in the chemo lab, she realized that she recognized me from the Tuck Shop. The other nurses were envious that she was assigned to be my nurse today. My nurse from yesterday stopped by numerous times to check on me. Two of my nurses from 5 years ago recognized me and stopped by to visit and check on me. It was a day of warm support and caring. I was very impressed and it made my day go well.

When I left at 2:30, I was feeling so good that I was considering going for a walk with my hubby tonight. While I awaited for my hubby to come by the main doors to the Cancer Centre with the car, one of the volunteers working the information desk came over and gave me a big hug. She has worked with me in the Tuck Shop since June. She was so happy to see me and indicated she had been given the address for this blog. I encouraged her to follow along.

After I got home, I rested and read for a little bit. Around 4:30-5:30, my stomach started to ache and I was starting to burp frequently. It was too early to take my next dose of Ondansetron so I took my supplemental nausea medication called Prochlorperazine. This should help calm the stomach until about 8:30-9:30 when I can take the Ondansetron dose.

Needless to say I did not want to eat very much supper. I had one small barbecued chicken thigh and 2 small pieces of roasted potato. As I was finishing my supper, my hubby made the comment that I was looking very tired. I was feeling cold and I continue to feel like my body is sliding downhill. I did take my temperature as I have to be very aware of fevers which can occur within hours or up to days after the injection of any one of the "medications" Gemcitabine, Cisplatin or Dexamethasone. My temperature was normal. So I just added a sweater and put on some long pants even though the heat outdoors is quite warm.

Now I intend to watch some television and do some knitting. I'm working on an afghan and it is long enough now to help cover my legs. I'll stay up long enough to get the Ondansetron into me and then I'll head to bed and rest.  I do not need to go back to the Cancer Centre until Monday when I will have a shorter day there while Gemcitabine is put into me.

Overall, today has been a good day with lots of laughter and friendship. Certainly, I was feeling blessed because I did see people who are further along in their cancer treatment journeys and not doing so well. Here's hoping and praying that I will keep my blood counts up and not need transfusions or delays to my treatments. But today was a good day.