So far there have been no major storms from this next round of chemo treatments. The biggest side effects so far have been indigstion, an increase in dry mouth and a general overall tiredeness. This of course has made it difficult to concentrate on things.
The other big change this time around is the addition of the IV pump I have to carry with me for 4 days. This is a continuous infusion that can not be turned off. The pump is in a bag that looks like a larger fanny pack but from the weight of it I don't wear it that way. I carry it more like a shoulder bag and set it down when I am not moving. There is plenty of IV tubing in the bag so it can be a few feet away from me. The pump runs on batteries and can also be plugged in. At night I plug the pump in to charge the rechargable battery. Supposedly the rechargable battery will last two days on a full charge and it also has 2 double A batteries as a backup that can run for 2 days. By charging the unit at night I don't have to worry about constantly plugging it in during the day.
One thing they did show me is how resiliant IV tubing is. It is almost impossible to kink. I was glad they showed me this because it made me more comfortable positioning the unit when sleeping. I was paranoid about what would happen if I rolled over on the tubing. Even if it does get blocked the unit has an alarm that goes off to let me know. This has happened once or twice at night and I just moved a bit and it cleared right up.
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2 comments:
God Bless You!
You are in our thoughts and prayers all day long.
Mom and Dad
Hang in there, you are reaching the final steps.
Dawn, Bill, Eliza, Aidan
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