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.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
I Am Borg Designate 1 of 4: No Storms So Far
I took one step closer to joining the collective yesterday when I got me first PICC line installed. I now have a feeding tube (PEG Tube) and a semi permanent IV. As with most thinks the anticipation of getting it installed was worse than getting it put in.
The PICC line was put in because part of my chemo therapy is delivered at home over a period of 4 days. This last set of 3 chemo therapy courses are a combination of the initial chemo drug, Cisplatin, that is delivered the normal way only at a reduced dose and a second drug 5FU that is delivered via a pump slowly for a period of 4 days. The idea behind the infusion is two fold. Be delivering the 5FU over a period of days it may reduce some of the side effects. Also be doing a constant infusion over the 4 days it is attacking the cells at different stages of their development. The goal of these last three treatments is to get any microscopic cancer cells that may still be lingering around.
Getting the PICC line put in was interesting. One thing I have noticed is that today most medical procedures, at least the ones that I have had so far, seem to come in kit form. This one had everything including a paper tape measure, scissors and tweezers. Nothing appears to be left to chance. The nurse got started by selecting a vein to use right below the inside joint of my elbow. Then using the kit she took out a paper tape measure and measured up my arm and into part of my chest. I think the distance was 51 centimeters. Using that tape measure she cut the PICC line to that length. The PICC line is a very thin piece of flexible tubing that in inserted in a vein in my arm and then threaded up that vein into my chest. To help with this there is a metal wire in the tube that provides some stiffness when it is inserted.
To insert the PICC line they start with what looks like a normal IV except that at the end it was able to break away from the PICC Line. This is inserted like a normal IV only they did numb the area locally. the PICC line is then threaded through this up into the vein and into the chest. I really couldn't feel it at all as it worked its way up into my chest. (Good job nurse!) Once it was in she tested it by drawing some blood and then flushing it with saline solution. The guide that was used to thread the PICC line was removed and she put in a dressing that holds it in place on my arm.
Once the line was installed they took at chest XRAY to make sure that it was in the right place. There is a off chance that it could have found a path up my neck or somewhere else they don't want it to be. According to the radiologist it was a perfect placement. Bonus points for the nurse! The actual time to install the PIC line once everything was in place was less than 5 minutes.
The PICC line was used to deliver the Cisplatin chemo drug and then I went over the oncologist office to pick up the pump and the 5FU. After I have had the pump for a day or two I will put up a post on how that is working out. So far no major issues.
The PICC line was put in because part of my chemo therapy is delivered at home over a period of 4 days. This last set of 3 chemo therapy courses are a combination of the initial chemo drug, Cisplatin, that is delivered the normal way only at a reduced dose and a second drug 5FU that is delivered via a pump slowly for a period of 4 days. The idea behind the infusion is two fold. Be delivering the 5FU over a period of days it may reduce some of the side effects. Also be doing a constant infusion over the 4 days it is attacking the cells at different stages of their development. The goal of these last three treatments is to get any microscopic cancer cells that may still be lingering around.
Getting the PICC line put in was interesting. One thing I have noticed is that today most medical procedures, at least the ones that I have had so far, seem to come in kit form. This one had everything including a paper tape measure, scissors and tweezers. Nothing appears to be left to chance. The nurse got started by selecting a vein to use right below the inside joint of my elbow. Then using the kit she took out a paper tape measure and measured up my arm and into part of my chest. I think the distance was 51 centimeters. Using that tape measure she cut the PICC line to that length. The PICC line is a very thin piece of flexible tubing that in inserted in a vein in my arm and then threaded up that vein into my chest. To help with this there is a metal wire in the tube that provides some stiffness when it is inserted.
To insert the PICC line they start with what looks like a normal IV except that at the end it was able to break away from the PICC Line. This is inserted like a normal IV only they did numb the area locally. the PICC line is then threaded through this up into the vein and into the chest. I really couldn't feel it at all as it worked its way up into my chest. (Good job nurse!) Once it was in she tested it by drawing some blood and then flushing it with saline solution. The guide that was used to thread the PICC line was removed and she put in a dressing that holds it in place on my arm.
Once the line was installed they took at chest XRAY to make sure that it was in the right place. There is a off chance that it could have found a path up my neck or somewhere else they don't want it to be. According to the radiologist it was a perfect placement. Bonus points for the nurse! The actual time to install the PIC line once everything was in place was less than 5 minutes.
The PICC line was used to deliver the Cisplatin chemo drug and then I went over the oncologist office to pick up the pump and the 5FU. After I have had the pump for a day or two I will put up a post on how that is working out. So far no major issues.
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