My First Treatment

I had my first chemotherapy treatment yesterday. It went better than I expected it would and I'm glad I didn't worry too much. The first infusion takes much longer than future infusions. They need to perform a test to make sure you are not allergic to one of the drugs and to teach you what to expect and review information for after you go home. Total time for the first appointment: 7.5 hours. Future appointments should take about 4.5 hours.

Here's how the day went:

I arrived at the hospital at 10:00 AM. My blood was drawn by 10:10.

I met with my oncologist at 11:00. We discussed the fact that my blood counts were good and that I could attend the first treatment. Before every infusion, I'll have to have my blood drawn to determine if I can get the infusion scheduled for that day. The doctor answered all of my questions and we reviewed possible side effects and ways of dealing with them. I was given a consent form to sign.

I read the following about blood counts and chemotherapy on the web:

Low red blood count = fatigue, low energy
Low platelets = bruising and bleeding
Low white blood count = susceptibility to infection

My numbers along with the normal ranges were as follows:
WBC - 7.6 (4.5 - 11.0)
HCT - 41.7 (41.0 - 53.0)
RBC - 4.86 (4.50 - 5.90)
PLT - 278 (10 - 350)
Poly - 56 (40 - 70)

My appointment was over by 11:30 and the infusion was not scheduled until 1:00. I had coffee with my dad and toured a new hotel near the hospital.

At 1:00 my weight, height, temperature, blood pressure were measured. Height and weight are used to calculate the dose of medecine you receive.

By 1:20, I had met my nurse, Pam. She was absolutely wonderful. I feel very comfortable with her and fortunate to have her on my team. She seems very personable and professional at the same time.

Pam inserted the IV into a vein and started administering fluids by 1:40.

From 2:15 until 2:30 I received a test dose of 1 unit of Bleomycin. It is important to determine if the patient is allergic to Bleomycin. I suspect people who are allergic can go into shock. I was told that I shouldn't feel anything when the drug was given to me and that I should say if I felt anything immediately. If so, the nurse would ring a bell and a group of people would come running to help me. After receiving the drug I had to wait an additional 30 minutes to see if I had any reaction.

I was then given two anti-nausea drugs in pill form at 3:05, a steroid called Decadron (Dexamethasone) and Zofran (Ondansetron).

The next set of drugs were given via a push method in which the drugs are injected by the nurse into the IV.

I received 46 mg of Adriamycin from 3:35 - 3:45.

I received 10.9 mg of Vinblastine from 3:46 - 3:53.

I received 683 mg of Dacarbazine from 3:55 - 4:02.

The last one was then given via a drip method.

I received 17 more units of Bleomycin for a total of 18 units from 4:03 - 5:03.

Finally, I got a flu shot in the arm. We discussed what I might expect after going home and when I should call the doctor's office or the hospital if I noticed certain symptoms.

I was given a schedule to use to take the prescription anti-nausea pills I picked up the day before the appointment. The drugs are Zofran, Compazine and Adavan. I was told to take Zofran every eight hours for the first three days. This was non-negotiable. I had to take them even if I felt no nausea. The other drugs could be taken if I needed them in addition to the Zofran.

I booked my appointment for the next session and was done by 5:15 PM.

I felt no side effects at all the first night or the day after. I went to the gym for a three mile walk and ate usually. I was told it was very important to drink lots of fluids. I know that there is the possibility of side effects popping up over the next week or so but I feel great right now and I feel relieved that the process of getting the infusion is not painful or scary. The first time is a little tense because you don't know what to expect but I'm not concerned about going back in two weeks at all.

On a scale of 1 - 10 I would rate my mood at 10.