On Thursday I start the final round of chemo – 6 consecutive days, with days 1-5 being just 1hr infusions at the hospital and also take home drugs.. yay! (can you feel the sarcasm?)
The 6th day is the really crap chemo drugs – you suck ice before, during and after to help protect your mouth against ulcers. Ive been told that unfortunately there isnt much they can do for my throat or gut… great! If you can get ulcers that quickly from the one drug cocktail, just imagine what its doing to the rest of my body! The aim is of course to kill off everything that could potentially be cancer – so all multiplying cells, which is your saliva, mucus, hair etc etc.
On the 7th day, I will receive my stem cells back. And you get side effects from these as well, including weird feeling at back of throat and stomach etc… as if you werent feeling crap already! It takes the stem cells 7-10days to integrate back into your bone marrow, during which time you will feel like crap, and any harmless bacteria in your body will suddenly have free reign, so I have to go into hospital everyday for checkups, fluids etc (since it will be hard to swallow), checking temperature, bloods etc, and at the first sign of infection or the chance youre not doing so well, you get admitted, and they dont let you go home until your bloods come back up (potential for 2 weeks).
Now, on one hand I dont mind going into hospital since then if I get sick, I dont have to travel anywhere. BUT on the other hand, I cant eat what I want, when I want; if I get upset stomach, and have a shared room, then I will be very self conscious and feeling like crap; bored bored bored; and just general feeling of crappiness.
So I understand the benefits of being in hospital – and is there a chance I may not have to be admitted? Well, yes, but my doctor tells me that out of 250 stem cell transplants theyve done like this, only 5 have not had to be admitted – so its highly unlikely that I will be able to stay home.
And to top it all off, once the stem cells reintegrate, youve got a good 6-8 week period until you’re feeling well again…. GREAT! (again, note the sarcasm)
I have a job starting exactly 6 weeks post treatment…. theyve been holding the position for me since DECEMBER, and I would hate to lose it. But apparently exercise helps, so once I get home I will be doing laps of my house/yard, and once I get my hickman line out, I will be swimming (with supervision just to make sure I dont drown on my first lap)… and eventually I will get back to indoor rockclimbing.
So anyway – Im feeling pretty crappy about it all. There isnt much I can do other than just live through it, even though I wish there was another way and I didnt have to do it. At least I know it will be the last lot (of course the thoughts of, “what if the cancer comes back again” creep into my head, but I try to ignore those), and I can look forward to feeling better.
BAH!
*sigh*
Since my last chemo Ive actually been feeling pretty good. Ive been told by various people that Im looking really good and healthy which is a good sign. I did have to go in for a blood transfusion, but that wasnt so bad – the resident doctor in the clinic prescribed me a chocolate as part of my treatment – it was written up in my file and everything! 
He gave me another one during the transfusion and then the next time I visited for blood tests, there was one waiting for me with my name on it
I was bored again during the transfusion so the admin staff got me doing jobs again, which was fine, since I had nothing else to do. I like to feel useful and productive, rather than just lying there – hence why I probably wouldnt like being in hospital – is it possible to sleep for a full two weeks?
I shall try to post during the chemo – tell you all about the chemo pump I shall have attached to me – but if I dont post much or for a while, you know why.
