I was back at the hospital again today. It’s been about three weeks since I had my last Chemo/Velcade. This is the star of my four week interim Velcade sessions. I’m having Velcade every Thursday at the moment along with the Dexamethasone again. This is to make sure that the para-protein stays at it’s plateau until my transplant.
Going back on the ward after three weeks off was like being on holiday and then coming home to see all of you family again. It’s surprising and a little odd that the patients and staff become your friends and life while your having treatment. We all get on well and have a laugh as well as have serious discussion about our illnesses. There are people there with various cancers and some with Myeloma as well as the regulars who have blood transfusions and blood products. It was good to catch up with them all.
As was in at about 9am and out by 12:30 ish. The process is the same, have my obs done, temp, blood pressure, pulse. Then the nurse (today I had Jane) take my bloods, clean and flush my line. They also ask if my dressing needs changing, but I did my own again this morning as I caught it in my sleep and I yanked it of the dressing a bit (fortunately not out of my chest) so I put a new one on this morning so it didn’t dangle too much ( see Vlog on Changing my dressing). Bloods are then taken, depending on what needs to be done, but normally three vial get sent off. The put up the saline drip (which you see in pic) while I wait to get the results back from the blood test. The Dr or a senior nurse reviews them once they are back and providing everything is ok with blood and I’m not in too much pain from Neuropathy or anything else that could cause problems, they then give the go ahead for me to have my Velcade. Once the pharmacy get the go ahead they make the Velcade up and dispatch back to Haematology for it to be administered. The actual injection just get connected to the line in the drip and takes a couple of seconds. Once they give the injection they let the saline flow through for a minute or two to make sure it is flushed into my system. That’s it I can then go home.
I had to get a new car park form signed today though – I went to park in my usual car park space near the Haematology but as I swiped my car park pass it just bleeped at me. It was then that I realised that I have been having this cycle of chemo for six months as the pass was issued for six months last time! So I had to reverse and park in the the visitors car park that is quite a way from the ward and a long walk. Fortunately with me having a few weeks off from the chemo I don’t feel too bad and was able to manage it without having to rest. If it was one of my bad weeks, I don’t think I would even attempt it. So I go the new form signed, this time for three months as hopefully I should be out of my transplant and only having to go to Chester for the odd appointment. Time will tell on that one.
Just as we were about to leave we had a nice surprise as one of the old nurses (old as in … used to work on the ward, not old as in age) happened to be dropping in. I’m sure you remember me mentioning Sarah who had moved onto Gastro within the Chester hospital. A lovely nurse who cared for me on a regular basis before moving on. It was nice to see her again.
I took my Dexamethasone late in the afternoon today, normally I would take them in the morning, so I’m not sure if I will get to sleep tonight!!!
Oh well at least it will give me time to catch up on a few things on the computer. Writing blogs, reading blogs, studying pornography …. err I mean photography
Speak to you all soon and as Dr Spock would say:
Live long and prosper
