First round of chemo in the morning. Was advised that we would be there "sun up to sun down". I would give just about anything to be able to carry this burden for her.
@PrivacyL0st so sorry
@PrivacyL0st I am sorry that you & your family are going through this. There is going to be a lot of premeditations given, then the chemo is started at a very slow rate and the rate of infusion will be increased every 15-30 minutes as long as she is doing well. - I was an infusion RN for 15+ years.
I will be thinking good thoughts for you both 💜
@Kelly_and_puppers They said the first hour is premeds, then the R-CHOP starts. Tomorrow will be the first time the port is accessed too - was just put in on Monday. She is so scared and I'm not sure I'm doing a great job pretending I'm not.
@PrivacyL0st it is normal to be scared, try to just take one day at a time, or one hour at a time - make it through that. You are always welcome to vent on here and if there is any questions that I am qualified to answer, I will.
Tell your wife/partner that I said the port is going to be great. 99.9% of the time it is a lot easier and less painful then IV sticks. Did the doc order lidocaine cream (Emla)?
@Kelly_and_puppers They said they can't do lidocaine cream this time because it's not healed enough, but they did order it and will use it after this first round. The nurse we met with for "Chemo 101" today said since we can't use the cream tomorrow to ice the port on the drive over and until they are ready to access to numb it a bit.
@PrivacyL0st even without the cream, it is no worse then your average blood draw. Glad that it is ordered for next time.
@PrivacyL0st I don’t think you should try to pretend that you are not scared. I am sure she knows anyways. What I would encourage you to do is just be honest and say “I am scared and I know you are too, but I am going to be there with you every step of the way” (something to that effect). From my experience, patients feel better supported when there is open, honest communication.
@PrivacyL0st I'm so sorry. Sending strength for the fight ahead. When my Aunt went to chemo there was a few days between the treatment and the nasty side effects. But it might be different for everyone. ❤️
@misslovelymess The treatment she's on requires at least three weeks between infusions because so nasty/toxic.
@misslovelymess just realized I misread this... Time to side effects was your comment - yea they said Saturday shouldn't be too bad, but Sunday is probably going to suck.
Much love to y’all. 💛
@PrivacyL0st How is your wife doing today?
@Kelly_and_puppers she's wiped out and at the same time restless. I'm guessing the restless is the massive dose of steroids she's currently on. So far exhausted and restless are the only side effects from the first round of chemo though so it could be worse. The "cocktail" she's on took like 10hrs to administer - one down, five to go.
@PrivacyL0st some suggestions for restlessness: doing guided meditations (there are some good ones on YouTube), taking a bath (don’t soak the incision), massage, or Ativan can be prescribed.
Glad to hear you guys are holding steady, encourage fluids (water, gator aid, sport drinks) healthy small snacks, lots of rest.
@PrivacyL0st 💜