A normal chemo session for me

This is how a normal chemo session looks for me...

Arrive at facility (I go to the new Scott Bieler Amherst center for my infusions and they are amazing!)

- I go upstairs, check in and wait for my appointment.

Blood work (unless I had my bloodwork done the day before and got the all clear) 

- They get me settled into a chair, access my port, draw blood and send it to the lab for testing. They also check to see if I need a pillow or blanket or anything to drink or eat. Then I sit and wait until the bloodwork comes back.

Pre-meds (These are medications intended to be used to help with nausea though they may help with other symptoms as well. They change from time to time based on what's working for me at that time and if I need a change.)

- As long as my bloodwork goes ok, I get started on my pre-meds. I don't remember all of these - 1 is a steroid (2 pills) and 2 others are injected directly into my accessed port.

- At this time, they also start me on an IV drip of fluids. 

- After the pre-meds are in and the IV drip is started, I chill out for another 30 minutes while I wait for the meds to get into my system so they are working when they start the infusions.

Infusion time 

- I get 2 medicines that are delivered over 2 hours.

- Leucovorin - basically a really strong folic acid. It is given before 5-FU to make the drug more effective.

- Oxaliplatin - a platinum-based chemotherapy drug. It damages the DNA of cells and stops it from being copied with the intention of stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells and causing them to die. It works on cells that rapidly grow so it can affect other cells within the body as well. This is the drug that causes the neuropathy symptoms in me and was part of the reason my hair thinned so much during the last treatment.

- When those are done, I get a 12 minute bolus of the Flourouracil (5-FU) that will be coming home with me in my pump.

Pump Hook-up

- The home care company nurse comes in to the infusion center and hooks me up to a pump that will deliver the Flourouracil over 48 hours at home. Then I go home!

- Flourouracil - a chemotherapy drug that stops the cancer cells making and repairing DNA which stops the cells from growing and multiplying.

Pump Disconnect

- 48 hours after my pump is hooked up, a home care nurse comes to my house to disconnect me and flush my port. Then I'm done until the next cycle starts. 

- At the first pump hook-up, I take home a box with supplies for the disconnect visits. It includes a folder with information about the homecare company and contact information, a sharps container, saline and heparin to flush my port after disconnect and a chemical spill kit and things like bandaids and gloves. I also get a bag that holds the pump that I bring back with me each visit. The pump itself gets disposed of. Last time I did chemo, I had a mechanical pump with a battery that I would hang onto between sessions and bring with me to each new chemo.

- After the first pump hook-up and prior to disconnect, there is also a visit by the home care nurses to admit me into their system/care where we go over medications and get a quick checkup to make sure I have everything I need, know how to care for the pump and myself, and know how to contact them if I need anything or have any concerns.

- Every 2 sessions (It may have been every session initially last time around but did move to monthly), I do my bloodwork a day in advance and meet with my doctor at Roswell prior to the session to check in on how I'm doing physically and emotionally, and to see how it's going, how I'm handling my treatments and if they need to tweak any of my medications.