Hello....Cleveland! etc, etc. Except that today's lumbar puncture was almost as painful for me as watching that movie. I apologize for freaking or grossing anybody out. But the doctor's had quite a bit of trouble getting fluid out of my back. My back was straight, but I guess my hips were slightly crooked, and they threw everything off. If your body isn't completely aligned, apparently it's very easy to hit a nerve which then sends shoots of electric-shock type pain down your leg. For me, it was the right leg. Good times. Actually, it was kind of funny when my foot started twitching. Not something I expected. But eventually we figured out my ill-aligned hips, put a footstool under my feet, they went in with the needle, easily drew out the fluid, and replaced it with the methotrexate drug. Although, this was after much pain and consternation, and I know have fun new holes down my spine. And all of this was only one small part of my day!
Really, my day of treatment began at 2:00 this morning when the nurse came in and hooked me up to a hydration pack with sodium bicarbonate mixed in. The point of that is to make sure that my urine pH stays around 7 to counteract the acidity of the chemo. They hydro pack finished at 6, and they gave me my 7 anti-nausea pills and one drip. At 8, they gave me a few more pills and vincristine, a fifteen minute infusion of chemo. 9:00 am and the IV methotrexate, over three hours. And then at 12:00, the spinal tap, which I've already discussed. After that, my back hurt like hell. They couldn't give me Tylenol because of its effects on my kidney, so I got a couple mgs of morphine. Woo, first experience with morphine! Sadly, it really didn't do much. My back stopped hurting, but no hallucinations or the like. Sorry kids. Otherwise, I've pretty much spent the rest of the day sleeping. The nurses still do rounds every four hours, and coupled with intermittent visits by the various doctors, it's difficult to sleep much during the night. Oh well. I'll be out of here soon, which is always exciting and nice to look forward to.
The other really freaking awesome news is that Dave Matthews is guest-starring on House tonight. I like Dave Matthews. A lot. I actually found a hand-written list from when I was about 10, okay, I was closer to 14, of guys I wanted to marry. I'm pretty sure Dave was at the top of the list. Good times. Good, embarrassing times. Alright, well, that's about it for me for now. No more major chemo. Mostly, the next few days are to monitor me and make sure that the levels of chemo go down enough so they are no longer toxic. Well, everyone loves a long Caroline post, but I'll finish now. And... Damn it sad toad, you had better have a happy Tuesday! Alright, pax.
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4 comments:
it was painful for you to watch Spinal Tap? did you not like it or were your sides hurting from laughter? the latter i hope
oh, and i was just talking with someone and they brought up the fact that Dave was on HOUSE, i hate Dave Matthews Band but then again i grew up in a rich white suburb and most of my high school fit in the frat/sorority type demographic so im a little biased, whatever floats your boat
i hope your tap pain wasnt in the angry/teary face zone on the Pain Scale Sign Meter, i would not like to hear that
btw, i played slide guitar today for the first time in a while, when you get back we need to write at least one slide/blues song, let's make it happen
wow this is long
i am sorry
heart,
kevin
P.S. what time is a good time to call you? a phone talk is in order, lemme know
Someone's a Famous Face all of the sudden.
you Fixeded it! woo.
Hey Caroline - I saw your face in my inbox this morning. And after I ranted to Megan for a little while about how the Blog contest was not adhering to its own criteria (which included design, multi-media, connectivity with other blogs, and utility) I decided that it was very cool that your b(log) got a mention. huzzah!
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