The Best Laid Plans

On Monday, I went back to the hospital for my second round of consolidation chemotherapy.
I had made plans to blog and read my bible, and do my bible study on Job {more on that in a sec} more than watch TV.
2 outta three ain't bad!
Jackie has all these pictures on HIS computer, Charlotte's Kindergarten program, our trip to Florida, etc.  All these things I was intent on blogging about.
Not one got written.  I didn't even start a rough draft of a post.
To make matters worse, or however you want to look at it, I had PLENTY of time to blog.  It was a very uneventful week {which is a GREAT thing} but, now, I don't have an excuse to hide behind.

Monday was easy breezy {as easy as it can get on 4 ONC, Tuesday? The same.  Wednesday, Jackie stayed for a good part of the day, but he had to be back at church.  So, there I was all alone in the hospital.  I actually stayed there by myself for the first time overnight!  It was so weird, but also, a little nice.  By Thursday morning though, I was already going stir-crazy.  I probably aggravated the mess out of the nurses.  I kept going out and standing at their station, just carrying on a conversation, like we were at Wal-Mart!
But, they seemed fine with it.  I think. Oh well!
Jackie FINALLY got back Thursday evening and I was so glad to see him!

  I barely felt any side effects from the chemo, YET. I was just having severe hot flashes, but nothing crazy.  Early Friday morning came along and my potassium was low, so they hooked me up with some liquid banana in a drip {I jest..} All of a sudden I had muscle aches in my right shoulder and all down my arm.  From my elbow down got really weak and started tingling.  I stayed calm, hit the nurse button, and my voice cracked when I told her what was going on.  So much for staying calm.  I got a little teary-eyed, just because I didn't know what was going on.  This hadn't ever happened before.  My nurse bustled in and turned off the machine.  She asked me to describe the feelings again, and thought that it was just the potassium.  Just to be sure, though, she checked for blood return {they insert a little bit of saline into my catheter and then pull back on the syringe to retract blood.} When she did that, I felt FIRE in my chest, neck, running through my catheter.  I was squirming and crying, it hurt so bad! She apologized, I told her there was no need, it wasn't her fault.  Deanna {my nurse} called the night shift doc and she came right in.  We explained it all over again and she thought maybe it was just the potassium.  They did the saline again, and I braced myself for searing pain.  Nothing. Nada. I was relieved.

She took me off the potassium for the rest of the day, and let everything settle back down.  When my day shift nurse came in, we ran through the whole situation again, and with my regular doctor.  I told them, I would feel better if we could take an x-ray to make sure nothing was out of line with my catheter, because everyone had been saying that normally a burning in the neck/catheter usually meant something was wrong with it.  The x-ray came back fine, but my nurse, bless her heart, she did not feel comfortable with it just yet. She did NOT want to run chemo through my line if there was a hole or something off with it.  So, I agreed to have dye run through my catheter to see if there was a leak.  Indeed, there was. A small one, but one nonetheless.
My only option really, was to get a replacement catheter.  Since I had JUST scarfed down my lunch right before the dye run, I had to wait until this morning {Saturday} for the procedure.
I was not very happy to have to get a new catheter, but I was glad that we found it while I was still in the hospital and only when I had potassium running through my line, not chemo.  Because of the whole, they were not allowed to use that catheter any longer.  No labs, DEFINITELY no chemo, nothing.  So, to keep me on schedule with my chemo regime, they gave me an IV in my arm and administered the last 2 treatments through that. Once at 6 pm on Friday and again at 6 Saturday morning.

Saturday morning came and they wheeled me down.  I was nervous, but praying the whole time.  Once the doctor came in, he asked about switching up the location of the catheter while we were at it. Because it was placed in a terribly awkward location the first time.  Then, I started getting stressed.  Up until now, they were  just talking about running a wire through my old cath, pulling the old out, running the new one over the wire and pulling the wire out.  Now, they were basically wanting to start from scratch.  In the grand scheme of things, I know this procedure is not a big deal.  But, I didn't want to be cut open anymore than I had to be.  I told him that I would just prefer to keep it where it is.  I have gotten used to it and not a big deal either way, right!? He agreed and they gave me my meds.  FINALLY.  Usually, it is a light sedation. They give you something to relax you, and something for the pain.  It CAN put you out, but you could stay awake, as well. The first time I was OUT.  This time, I stayed awake,  Much to my chagrin.
I talked so much during the whole thing, the doctor actually asked me to please be quiet, because he needed to concentrate.  Roger that.

It wasn't a very long ordeal.  A lot of it is pretty fuzzy, but after it was done, I thanked God it all went well and they wheeled me back to the room.

By this time, the chemo started catching up with me and my neck started hurting.  So, we stayed a little longer in the hospital.  They told me once the cath was in and I was ready, I could leave at anytime.  I was starving, so we stayed for lunch, and so I could rest up and not feel so woozy.
Finally, I felt good enough to clean myself up and get changed.  So, we packed up our stuff, went over the discharge stuff and said goodbye to my favorite nurse, Lucille.

Now, we are home.  My neck is, well, a pain in my neck right now and I am feeling really crummy from the chemo.  OH! And since my eyes and the first round of consolidation did NOT get along at all, they started me on the steroid drops in the hospital.  So, I am praying they work from get go and I won't have that eye problem this time.

I won't go into too much detail here, but I ask that you pray for a family that lost a dear loved one this week. Her name is Kristen, and she had cystic fibrosis.  She was actually at UNC in the ICU this past week and passed away. She got a severe lung infection and was fighting hard! Please be in prayer for her family and her young daughter.  She was only 27 or 28.  I am not sure of her exact age.  We went to the same high school, and I knew her, just not well. All of my above complaining really does seem so inconsequential, doesn't?  I cannot imagine what her family is going through.  Will you please join me in prayer?!