Updates from Infusion Room 5

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Or, as is the case here, Happy Blue Hair Day! Phil had some friends over last night and three of them dyed their hair to mark the commencement of mobilization. See the video at the bottom of this blog to see them in action!



Yesterday Phil got his Neostar Catheter placed. Beth has a picture of one on her blog, and Phil may want to show his off later on. We'll see. The cath will allow for easier stem cell collection, blood draws and chemo administration and this is also the site through which the stem cell transplant will happen. He said it's not too uncomfortable... and the creepiness factor is sort of over-ridden by the knowledge that he won't have to get poked so many times every week.

Today is Phil's Cytoxan infusion which is an all-day affair. We were under the impression, through no one's fault but ours, that the Cytoxan would be a simple infusion, we'd go home and life would proceed as normal until collection. However, it turns out he'll be on some heavy anti-nausea meds for a few days afterward and will likely be tired and somewhat out of commission until the weekend. His counts will also begin to drop at that point. We're at infusion right now and Phil received his Compazine, Ativan and Zofran to combat any nausea before it even begins. They just hung his Cytoxan, which will take two hours, and then we'll stay here for hydration well into the evening. Because of all the meds Phil is, in his words, "Soooooo tiiiiiiired." So he's cashed out while I pay bills, eat bagels and catch up on my Pottery Barn catalogs.

Tonight Phil will be sent home with a pump that is connected to his catheter. The pump will infuse fluids into his system throughout the night, and I'll have to wake him up every two hours to use the bathroom, since it's dangerous for Cytoxan to sit in your bladder. I got a tutorial on how to work and troubleshoot the pump since Phil will likely be too sleepy to notice if something goes wrong (which is unlikely). So between that and yesterday's class on how to flush his lines-- which we'll do three times a week-- and change his dressing-- which happens once a week-- I feel like a pro.

I'm heading home for lunch and to try and get the kids down for a nap in about an hour, then coming back to the hospital for the rest of the day. I asked the nurse if they could bring in another bed so I can take a nap too and she just kind of giggled. As if I was joking. Oh well. Thank goodness for free bagels and internet.

Updates to come as events warrant!