The Alien Within: 3 – Keep Taking the Pills…

Date July 27, 2015 Author By RLG Category Journal

The Treatment Begins…

Day 1 – Chemotherapy

We were asked to be at Peterborough City Hospital, Haematology/Oncology Day Ward, for around 0930hrs, Monday, 27th July 2015.

Departing home at 0830hrs, to be sure of at least arriving on time, we actually arrived in good time just after 0900hrs.

Reporting to the Day Ward Desk we met Angelo, who was to be our first contact for the initial procedure, the insertion of my PICC Line (periphally inserted central catheter).  After introductions and the now obligatory paperwork at each stage, including yet another consent form, Angelo went through the procedure for the PICC and immediately got under way.  The insertion went without a hitch and was surprisingly a bit of a non-event, at least at that time.

I was despatched to find the X-Ray hideout for another iMage of my chest to be taken, which happened almost as soon as I had taken my seat in waiting.  I then decided to grab a Flat White from Costas, in the hospital atrium, as it was nearly on my way back to the Day Ward.  On my way back I noticed a cool sensation in the vicinity of the PICC site, but thought it was just the connector attached to the line.

Taking my first sip of a very decent Flat White, on my return to the ward, the cool sensation was still apparent, so I slipped my left hand down to the site to check.  Just as well because it came out covered in red stuff, my life blood was draining from my right upper arm…

This was dealt with very swiftly by the station nurses, with a pressure pad, to calm and stop the leak and the stated intention to replace the dressing before I was released home.

The consultant viewing my X-Ray confirmed the positioning of the PICC Line as good to go.

The First Day cocktail commenced, kicking off with pre-meds including; Paracetamol, Anti-sickies, Peritone and more steroids, before the supposedly nasty Rituximab!

 
Aside from a couple of very mild side effects, the Rituxi event, although it was scheduled to be delivered in half hour segments, slowly over four hours, was actually another non-event.  No real side effects to speak of, just a little dry in the mouth and throat with a temporary loss of some taste and a bit of a hot flush at one point.  Otherwise the cocktail seemed to be handled really well after all.

All, in all, today was, surprisingly, a really good day and it is now behind us with no ill effects.  I am now returned home, complete with the 👽 Within fighting for its life and a bottle off tricks to keep it well occupied for the next four days, attached permanently to my person through the PICC Line!  At least until Friday when I pop back to the Day Ward in the late pm to have the, by then, empty pump removed and another phase commences…

Neat job of cleaning the mess and fixing a new dressing to the PICC site to complete the Day 1 procedure!

And a temporary neck support for the little pump bottle – no tech involved I’m afraid…

And, finally, the troublesome little lung drain site, from which the stitches were removed a week ago, was declared fit enough to be left without a dressing and clear of infection…

NEXT: Week 1 – Day 2 – Treatment On-going…