The Walk Beside

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Posted on April 15th, 2008 by Cam.
Categories: Let's talk.

I have just returned home from the hospital in the last hour or so. A big day. The full procedure went ahead as scheduled and my marrow is officially dissolving. No turning back.

Things went mostly well. I was expecting the central line to be the biggest hurdle of the day, but it turned out bigger than we all expected. The procedure usually takes about 10-15 minutes. They had great difficulty getting through my chest wall and after 4 or 5 attempts, two different Anesthetists and about 40 minutes, they decided it wasn’t going to happen. This whole time I reckon I could have cracked walnuts between my butt cheeks.

I was fine at first but I have a history of needing a high dose of anesthetics or sedatives in order for them to work. When I had my first hip biopsy, they used three times the usual amount because I was still carrying a conversation the whole time. Even then I still remember the whole thing. I fell asleep after I asked to see the sample that had come out. Today was quite similar. They were injecting local anesthetic constantly it seemed, and then it would wear off because it was taking so long, so they would inject more.

After about half and hour, I was just over it. I was exhausted. After the 40 mins, they whipped out the unsuccessful line in the chest and scrubbed down my neck. The senior Anesthetist took over once again and the line went in fairly easily. Apparently I had too much muscle in my chest wall. I know, I didn’t believe them either, but I was just happy that they got it in somewhere. To be honest, one of the most painful parts of the ordeal was the ripping off of the sticky gauze from the partially hairy chest. They should really knock you out for that part. It would only be fair.

So I was away for about three and a half hours all up, and therefore late for the actual chemo dose. This can be bad, because the expiry on the Melphalan is quite quick once it has been prepared. I was hooked up quick smart and the chemo went in 5 minutes before it reached its expiry time.

The chemo itself was an anticlimax. I didn’t realise I was actually hooked up and getting the dose until about 20 minutes into it, and then I didn’t realise it was all over until about 10 minutes the drip had come out. Then it just came down to picking up a vast array of new drugs from the chemist and a cup of ice to suck on the way home.

Only now am I beginning to feel a little tired. I haven’t eaten much all day though, and my body has been through a bit of stress, on top of the chemo itself. Going to rest tonight I think. No more handstands for a while, I am too scared an assortment of body fluids will leak out of one of the three tubes in my neck.

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