Right now I'm sitting in the Virgin Australia lounge room at LAX, and for lack of a better word, I'm buggered. I woke up this morning and I didn't feel the best. Maybe it was because I had the busiest day I've had since transplant yesterday, or maybe it was because I was nervous about getting sick on the plane, I don't know.
All I know is for the first time in a couple of days I felt nauseous. Luckily, I still had some Zofran so I took one of them and I was right as rain. The other problem I had though that bothered me a little more was for the very first time the site of my PICC line had started to ache. Not good. I had planned on phoning Amy anyway that day to let her know I was going home and just to say thanks, so I raised it with her then. As there was no swelling or redness and I didn't have a fever she said it was most probably nothing but if it still bothered me when I got back to Melbourne to raise it with my doctors there. Most probably I just slept on it in an awkward way.
Anyway, so far today has been really long. Not that things have gone badly they haven't. But airports are tiring at the best of times and we have already had a four hour flight from Chicago to LA and on Chicago time it is currently midnight. I am looking forward to getting on the plane having a bite and then going to sleep. Thankfully I have had no trouble sleeping since SCT which I would imagine has made it much easier for me.
And to think in just 18 hours time I will finally be able to rest my head on my own pillow in my own bed. What a luxury. But it can't last too long as the day I return I have a doctors appointment to organise all my follow up blood tests etc.... It will be interesting to see my counts as I have noticed today I have been getting a little short of breath which would indicate that my haemoglobin is dropping. It would have been artificially boosted by the transfusion I had the day I left hospital but hopefully my stem cells are starting to engraft properly and my red cell count will start to rise naturally. Until next time, stay well:)
Showing posts with label zofran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zofran. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Day +5
On day four I made the conscious decision that I should, where possible, cut down on the drugs they are giving me. In nearly every recovery there is a time where you no longer need them and I personally would rather not take than take them.
So I decided that the anti nausea should cease. And I stopped taking them for most of the morning of day +4. However, when I woke up this morning the nausea ha returned with a vengeance. Not that it was a big problem, one dose of Zofran and back on the marinol I was fine. I don't want to stay on the drugs much longer, but if they are still necessary.
Well they tell me that your counts stay down until between days +8 and +12, so I feel like I am about half way there. If I could get out on day 8 that would be awesome, but realistically I think it will be around day 10.
On another note a dermatologist came round to view my rash and biopsy a part of it. They say that they will want me to put cream on it all the time, and I feel as though with it still not itching or painful and looking as though it is clearing up I was more for just leaving it. But with the biopsy already done I guess I will get an answer.
Until next time stay well:)
Ps. I would like to extend my warmest wishes to Bob, who is having his PICC line placed tomorrow and Wendy who is having a small procedure with the cardiologist. Here's hoping it will not be a bigger procedure and will delay her from the program.
So I decided that the anti nausea should cease. And I stopped taking them for most of the morning of day +4. However, when I woke up this morning the nausea ha returned with a vengeance. Not that it was a big problem, one dose of Zofran and back on the marinol I was fine. I don't want to stay on the drugs much longer, but if they are still necessary.
Well they tell me that your counts stay down until between days +8 and +12, so I feel like I am about half way there. If I could get out on day 8 that would be awesome, but realistically I think it will be around day 10.
On another note a dermatologist came round to view my rash and biopsy a part of it. They say that they will want me to put cream on it all the time, and I feel as though with it still not itching or painful and looking as though it is clearing up I was more for just leaving it. But with the biopsy already done I guess I will get an answer.
Until next time stay well:)
Ps. I would like to extend my warmest wishes to Bob, who is having his PICC line placed tomorrow and Wendy who is having a small procedure with the cardiologist. Here's hoping it will not be a bigger procedure and will delay her from the program.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Day -2
You know I woke up feeling OK. With all the drugs that they have pumped into my system I really deserve to feel a whole lot worse. Unfortunately the OK feeling only lasted about fifteen minutes as I started to feel nauseous and I had that horrid feeling of spit continually welling up in my mouth.
In order to combat this the nurses brought me a tasty shot of Zofran and a delightful yellow bucket to use as a spittoon. At around 6 am they also came in to give me my morning dose of Lasix. Lasix is a drug I have come to detest as it makes you go to the toilet an awful lot and in general is not very pleasant as it makes my kidneys hurt.
Around 8.30am the doctor came in to check my lab work and EKG. He made a recommendation for my nausea a drug called Marinol. Also known as medical marijuana. As a first for me, the main side effect that was most pleasing was that food actually became appetising again and I managed to eat after which I had a very nice sleep.
On another plus I am now done with all the chemo so now I just have to wait for my cell counts to bottom out and my stem cell infusion on Tuesday and from then it is onward and upward to recovery.
Until next time, stay well:)
In order to combat this the nurses brought me a tasty shot of Zofran and a delightful yellow bucket to use as a spittoon. At around 6 am they also came in to give me my morning dose of Lasix. Lasix is a drug I have come to detest as it makes you go to the toilet an awful lot and in general is not very pleasant as it makes my kidneys hurt.
Around 8.30am the doctor came in to check my lab work and EKG. He made a recommendation for my nausea a drug called Marinol. Also known as medical marijuana. As a first for me, the main side effect that was most pleasing was that food actually became appetising again and I managed to eat after which I had a very nice sleep.
On another plus I am now done with all the chemo so now I just have to wait for my cell counts to bottom out and my stem cell infusion on Tuesday and from then it is onward and upward to recovery.
Until next time, stay well:)
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Day -4
Day -4 has been very similar to Day -5. The main difference being that today I was foiled by my own procrastination. My PCT came in bright and early and wrapped my arm up ready for a shower. I then proceeded to lie in bed for another half an hour because I was feeling extremely lethargic. Just as I was about to make the giant leap from bed to bathroom a nurse came in to administer my pre-medications. Unfortunately this meant that I had to postpone my shower again.
So I decided to remove the cling wrap around my PICC line as the pre-medications were slowly infused. At this time, my breakfast also arrived which fortunately I managed quite easily. At this point the combination of Benadryl and Ativan had kicked in quite nicely and I slept through until lunchtime. After lunch, which also went down quite easily, I had the pre-meds for the Rabbit ATG, which again made me feel sleepy. Unfortunately, at this point, they also gave me Lasix so, instead of sleeping, I was up every ten minutes to relieve my bladder. During this time I watched a movie called The In-Betweeners. It was very funny but I would not recommend it for children or the morally sensitive.
It was at this point things took a small turn for the worse as I started to get a stomach ache and I felt a little nauseous. Instead of taking more Zofran I decided to take some Composine as I am only allowed one more dose of Zofran between now and midnight.
At this point I went to the toilet and had diarrhoea. The nurses were really good and helped me back to bed as I was also feeling a little lightheaded. They have also put a "hat" over the toilet seat to collect a sample from my next deposit.
Right now the Rabbit ATG is still running and it will be for another 6 hours but I think it is the Cytoxan that is really knocking me around. And the best part is I get to do it all again tomorrow. In all honesty I have always said that I have hoped for the best but prepared for the worst, well mentally anyway. So far the process has not been the best but it has been far from the worst I had expected.
The nurses have been absolutely excellent and extremely diligent about listening to all my complaints and given me all the options associated with them. I believe one of the best things about North Western Hospital is that they don't use any agency nurses like they do in Australia and, although some of the agency nurses are good, there is always a clear difference between the full and part time hospital nurses and the agency nurses.
Right now, I am starting to feel to better. I seem to be going in a cyclical up and down pattern and I think I am heading up at the moment. Thanks to my mother who is diligently typing this post as I dictate her on my hospital bed. Until next time, stay well :)
So I decided to remove the cling wrap around my PICC line as the pre-medications were slowly infused. At this time, my breakfast also arrived which fortunately I managed quite easily. At this point the combination of Benadryl and Ativan had kicked in quite nicely and I slept through until lunchtime. After lunch, which also went down quite easily, I had the pre-meds for the Rabbit ATG, which again made me feel sleepy. Unfortunately, at this point, they also gave me Lasix so, instead of sleeping, I was up every ten minutes to relieve my bladder. During this time I watched a movie called The In-Betweeners. It was very funny but I would not recommend it for children or the morally sensitive.
It was at this point things took a small turn for the worse as I started to get a stomach ache and I felt a little nauseous. Instead of taking more Zofran I decided to take some Composine as I am only allowed one more dose of Zofran between now and midnight.
At this point I went to the toilet and had diarrhoea. The nurses were really good and helped me back to bed as I was also feeling a little lightheaded. They have also put a "hat" over the toilet seat to collect a sample from my next deposit.
Right now the Rabbit ATG is still running and it will be for another 6 hours but I think it is the Cytoxan that is really knocking me around. And the best part is I get to do it all again tomorrow. In all honesty I have always said that I have hoped for the best but prepared for the worst, well mentally anyway. So far the process has not been the best but it has been far from the worst I had expected.
The nurses have been absolutely excellent and extremely diligent about listening to all my complaints and given me all the options associated with them. I believe one of the best things about North Western Hospital is that they don't use any agency nurses like they do in Australia and, although some of the agency nurses are good, there is always a clear difference between the full and part time hospital nurses and the agency nurses.
Right now, I am starting to feel to better. I seem to be going in a cyclical up and down pattern and I think I am heading up at the moment. Thanks to my mother who is diligently typing this post as I dictate her on my hospital bed. Until next time, stay well :)
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