First treatment

Yesterday was my first chemo treatment at SJH. Helen and I arrived at about 10.00 yesterday and went down to the chemo unit. Don't remember if I have desctibed the unit - small but perfectly formed.

The unit is buzzer controlled and leads in to a comfortable waiting area, with a tv, internet, small kitchen and settees. We arrived and were given a seat and a cup of tea while I completed more paperwork. I was also given some anti-sickness pills. After about 10 minutes we were called though to the treatment area, along with about four other patients. The patients get given comfortable seats and the partners (most people had brought partners to wait with them) get normal chairs.

I was hooked up to the drip and the first one they gave me was a glucose drip - not sure why, but there you go. That lasted about 10 minutes and them they hooked up the Ox (see previous posts for full details of Ox). That takes about two hours to drip through and finally they gave me another glucose drip to flush every last drop into my system.

They kept feeding us with cups of tea, so much so that I had to get up and go to the toilet half way though, as my bladder was about to burst. All the drip machines have batteries so it is just a matter of unplugging and wheeling the stand along the corridor.

While I sat with the drip my arm was wrapped up in an electric blanket - for the full two hours, a bit odd really - to keep me warm. As the drip dripped, it felt as if my arm was filling up. By the end of it my arm felt quite odd - stiff, slightly sore and very sensitive to the cold.

After the second glucose drip we were given a large bag of drugs to take home, including the Capecitabine (the other chemo drug) and three different anti sickness drugs.

For those of you who are interested I have Granisetron and Dexamethasone to take on the day I have the Ox drip, more Dexamethasone (different dosage) to take for the three days after the drip and Domperidone to take as and when.

I am on 2000mg of the capecitabine twice a day, four lovely peach coloured tablets (I am not sure that the colour has any effect, but there you go) to be taken just after a meal, twelve hours apart - they are quite strict about that. I have to have this tice a day for fourteen days for 8 cycles. Now that works out as 224 doses and I have had my first (not that I am counting).

We left the unit at about 1.15 and drove home. Helen suggested that I drive as she would not be around for any of the other treatments (she started work today - not a happy bunny), so I drove home very gingerly, but safely. I also was wearing a pair of ski gloves and a scarf, so I was looking a bit of a pillock, standing in the entrance of SJH getting my parking ticket wearing my ski jacket and gloves and a woolly scarf - the reason I was dressed like this is described below. For those of you that I see, I will probably be wearing this sort of get-up for the couple of days after the OX drip, every third week, wednesday to friday, whenever I go outside.

Touching things is odd. One of the main side effects of the Ox is the sensitivity to cold. If I touch almost anything colder than my body, even at ambient air temperature for more than a second or two I get pings and needles in my fingers and hands. The effects appear within about two or three seconds, but dissappear just as quickly after I let go. They say that I should not go into the fridge (I did sneak in for some mik to go in my tea though).

The effects are most noticable if I tough metal, although I have noticed it touching other things too. This, along with tiredness, was the main simptom that I felt yesterday. I am not as tired today and the pins and needles are not as bad today either. The reason for the scarf is that the drug affects the nerves - hence the pins and needles, and can affect the nerves in the throat - leading to the sensation of my throat closing up and wheezing. The fix for this is to keep warm - hence scarf and gloves - drink something warm - hence the three cups of tea at the hospital - and get out of the cold.

I had a dentists appointment today, and braved the outside world, walking down to the surgery. I took my scarf, but didn't need it. I was fine walking, although the weather today is not too bad (the sun is out!)

So that was my first chemo dose. I have to go back for a one-off appointment next week, for them to check that I have not had any drastic side efects, but that should be a five minute job and I am free now for three weeks - appart form the hundreds of pills I am taking every day.

I will try to keep you up to date as I go along.

God bless,

Graham

I'm back

This post has details of the nasty side effects of the drugs I am due to get - if you are squeamish go here.....

Well we went along to St John's Hospital (which I will now shorten to SJH) Chemotherapy department this afternoon, for a meet and greet.


This was another session where they went through all the side effects of the two drugs I am due to get from next week - it is all starting to seem a bit scary........


I have just had a scan through my previous posts to see if I mentioned which drugs I get and I can see them (although maybe I just missed that bit). Anyway, here goes.

I am due to get a regime called Cap/Ox - short for Capecitebine and Oxaliplatin

I start off with Oxaliplatin, once every three weeks, at the chemo department at SJH where they put me on a drip for a couple of hours. They give you a hand leaflet detailing all the side effects. If you don't want to know the score, LOOK AWAY NOW (sorry)

The first one mentioned is diarrhoea - a bit ironic really. Next up Stomatitis or mouth sores and ulcers. Next, the ever popular Nausea and Vomiting (although they give me even more drugs to stop this one). There are dire warnings about infections and how I will be more susceptible to them - reduced blood count and all that. After this, the perennial Tiredness (it is not an excuse to get out of the hoovering, honest).

Finally (for this drug) the interesting one. Neuropathy. This drug affects the nerves (don't sneak up behind me) and this shows itself as numbness or tingling in the fingers and toes. this can be triggered by exposure to coldness and they recommend that I stay away from cold areas, chilled foods and cold drinks, to the extent that opening the fridge to get something out can trigger it. They suggest getting an oven glove to get things out of the fridge(!) and wearing a scarf and coat to avoid sudden gusts of wind, even next week!

It can also affect the nerves in the throat, causing a feeling of breathlessness and anxiety at not being able to breath properly. In fact, it does not affect the breathing in the slightest, but apparently it can feel that way. Scraping the car in winter may be fun and as for frozen peas (that was pea not pee, disgusting boy)..... This lasts for a few days after the treatment ends (so that will be a two or three days every three weeks).

So much for Ox.

Capecitebine is given as tablets every day for two weeks. based on my height/weight I will probably be on 4 - 5 tablets in the morning and the same in the evening - if you shake me I will probably rattle. So how does this one affect me?

Well there is diarrhoea, stomatitis, nausea and vomiting, higher risk of infections, tiredness (sound familiar?) The different one for this drug is Palmer/Planter Erythema, or red and sore patches n the palms and soles of the feet.

Oh yes, and I shouldn't become pregnant as there could be complications !?!

After that I get a week off before it all starts again. Apparently the effects are in the shape of a cosine graph (start at the top, go down in a graceful curve until about day ten when I start to fight off the symptoms and the curve starts to climb again) over the three week period (convenient really). I am not sure however that the graph ever gets as high as at the start.

The risk of infection is stressed a few times. If I get any sort of infection then it is a drop everything and run situation. I have programmed the numbers of the SJH department and the Western department into my phone in case of dire emergencies, so if I am with any of you and I start going blue and drooling at the mouth, grab my phone and call the hospital at once (OK, I am unlikely to turn blue and start drooling, but you get the idea - watch out for me :-) )

So that is it for the chemo drugs,, but they give me three, yes, three different anti-nausea drugs "just in case". And if none of them work I can call them and they will give me another one that they keep in reserve for stubborn patients.

OK that is enough for now. I am off to watch my symptoms DVD (oh yes, they gave me a DVD too).

Someone tell the others they can look back now.