I went in early to meet with Arati for my mid-trial checkin. She's a Nurse Practitioner who worked for Dr. M before he left. My case has been reassigned to a different managing oncologist, and I'm free to meet with them at any time, but I'm very comfortable with her - she's been the front line responder to Dr. M's email from day one (he often responded directly as well, but she always responded), she knows the trial drug well and has handled all my prescriptions.
Apparently they had a little mini tumor board about me yesterday and decided that the itching was most likely a delayed response to the taxol and wasn't accompanied by the typical rash because I've been taking Claritin daily since a week before I started treatment. So I'm back on the steroid (decadron) on IV, they doubled the amount of IV benedryl they give me as a pre-med, and I'm taking decadron in the mornings on Wednesdays and Thursdays for the remainder of the trial. That should keep it under control.
Also, Anne, one of my favorite nurses since before today, but definitely my favorite as of today figured out something about the port. She thinks the altaplase was necessary last week, but that due to the placement the port needs to be in two different positions to be accessed and then to be used - the best access position is kinking the line up inside me and slowing down blood supply, which is why they had to go into my arm on Saturday at the ER. If we turn the thing sideways after it's accessed and tape it down that way, the thing flows fine. No pain. Anne is awesome. And she has the cutest little Irish accent. And she's working every Tuesday for the next five weeks so she told me to send for her immediately if anybody else has any trouble. If I was the type to type little pink hearts for Anne I would do so.
In addition to the extra decadron, Arati gave me a prescription anti-diarrhea med and said that some of the other trial patients are having luck with pepto for the stomach cramping. And all of them have had bathroom destroying bouts like I did last week - good to know that I'm not the only one who has lost control in that way. So I'm wide awake and going to take a last dose of the zofran (which should make me sleepy), the anti-diarrhea (which should make me sleepy), and some ativan (which helps with nausea and should make me sleepy) around 12:30 and then get in bed with a book.
Wish me (and my bathroom floor) luck. I have new barf bags. I have towels. (Chux should be delivered tomorrow, natch). Bob is under orders on pain of death to leave the seat down and the lid up.
BTW, I still haven't lost all my hair and I wish it would just go away already. This is ridiculous. (I can't shave it because of the infection risk if I cut myself, so it sits at 1/8 inch until it decides to fall out on its own.)
Apparently they had a little mini tumor board about me yesterday and decided that the itching was most likely a delayed response to the taxol and wasn't accompanied by the typical rash because I've been taking Claritin daily since a week before I started treatment. So I'm back on the steroid (decadron) on IV, they doubled the amount of IV benedryl they give me as a pre-med, and I'm taking decadron in the mornings on Wednesdays and Thursdays for the remainder of the trial. That should keep it under control.
Also, Anne, one of my favorite nurses since before today, but definitely my favorite as of today figured out something about the port. She thinks the altaplase was necessary last week, but that due to the placement the port needs to be in two different positions to be accessed and then to be used - the best access position is kinking the line up inside me and slowing down blood supply, which is why they had to go into my arm on Saturday at the ER. If we turn the thing sideways after it's accessed and tape it down that way, the thing flows fine. No pain. Anne is awesome. And she has the cutest little Irish accent. And she's working every Tuesday for the next five weeks so she told me to send for her immediately if anybody else has any trouble. If I was the type to type little pink hearts for Anne I would do so.
In addition to the extra decadron, Arati gave me a prescription anti-diarrhea med and said that some of the other trial patients are having luck with pepto for the stomach cramping. And all of them have had bathroom destroying bouts like I did last week - good to know that I'm not the only one who has lost control in that way. So I'm wide awake and going to take a last dose of the zofran (which should make me sleepy), the anti-diarrhea (which should make me sleepy), and some ativan (which helps with nausea and should make me sleepy) around 12:30 and then get in bed with a book.
Wish me (and my bathroom floor) luck. I have new barf bags. I have towels. (Chux should be delivered tomorrow, natch). Bob is under orders on pain of death to leave the seat down and the lid up.
BTW, I still haven't lost all my hair and I wish it would just go away already. This is ridiculous. (I can't shave it because of the infection risk if I cut myself, so it sits at 1/8 inch until it decides to fall out on its own.)
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