#13 Ready, Steady, Chemo! – Oct 25, 2007
Number of days since last chemo: 20
Number of days until next chemo: 1
Number of chemo treatments left: 4
Mood: trepidacious!
Yep, it’s come flying around but it is chemo time again, and tomorrow I will be heading back to hospital to be blasted with a whole heap of toxic drugs. After meeting with my oncologist last Friday though I have been told I now need to be admitted into hospital to have my chemo. Because I was so sick last time they have no option but to admit me onto the oncology ward so that I can be given fluids and be prevented from getting dehydrated again. They are also going to try me on some expensive, supposedly wonder tablet which will hopefully combat the sickness. I’m not entirely convinced by it, but I’m really hoping it works because if it does it means I can go back to having my remaining 3 treatments as a day patient, and just take the tablet home with me. If not, then there is one final drug they can try which will just knock me out, but which has to be administered intravenously, and so would mean all my future treatments would require a stay in hospital. So, it’s a bit trial and error again this time around, but at least I will be in the controlled environment of the hospital rather than left to manage at home. At least that’s how I’m trying to look at it. In all honesty I’m quite dreading going in just because it’s so horrible being ill outside of your own home. My oncologist wants me to stay in until at least Monday, but I’m already thinking I might self-discharge again on Sunday if I really hate it!
Of course, all of this is working on the presumption that my cell counts are all high enough, and have recovered sufficiently from the last treatment to go ahead, and also that the ward has a bed for me. Anyone who’s been through the hospital system will know that beds cannot be guaranteed, so at 8:00am tomorrow I have got to phone the ward to check they have got room for me. Emergency admissions overnight may mean the answer is no and my treatment gets delayed over the weekend. Although I’m really not looking forward to going through another dose and its effects, I just want it over and done with now so I can cross another one off. So, keep your fingers crossed for me that it goes ahead tomorrow and also that it goes ok, and I’ll write again when I’m through the worst of it.
xxx
