Since Wednesday, August 30, I have been very concerned about whether my white blood cell count was going to be high enough for my chemotherapy to begin today. I found out Thursday, August 31, that my white blood cell count was 0.70 and it needed to be at 1.5 for the chemo to continue today. My sister's visit, along with the visit from my son this past weekend, helped me to be less obsessed about today but the worry was always there in the back of my mind. I did not sleep well last night as I worried about blood cell counts. I did not want this chemo round to be delayed. If I have to do this awful therapy, then let's bring it on without any delays.
My chemotherapy was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. I have a picc line to have my blood taken to be tested but the picc line blood lab doesn't open until 8:30 a.m. so I had to be at the regular Blood Room at 7:45 a.m. when they open. This is what I was told on Wednesday at my doctor's appointment. I arrived by 7:30 a.m. and there were already 4 people ahead of me. Apparently the Blood Room actually opens at 7:30 a.m. Once the blood is taken, it takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to get the results back. The other concern for my chemo today is that I reacted to the Rituximab last time with hives. The possibility of reacting again was high. I was somewhat anxious today about the whole blood level and chemo reaction components of my day.
After having my blood taken, I had to go to the chemotherapy lab and let the receptionist know that I was there. I had a book with me to fill the waiting time and all the hours that I was expecting to be in the chemotherapy chair. While I read my book and was enthralled with it, I vaguely heard my name called just after 9:00 a.m. I looked up and there was the nurse I had on August 14 which was my first day of the last round. She is a wonderful nurse in that she's very caring and attentive. She led me to my chemo chair and I lucked out. The chair faces the window view of Lake Ontario. I find this a very calming view even when the lake looks gun-metal gray like it did today. The nurse took my temperature to make sure I wasn't fevered. She also checked my blood pressure and heart rate. All were optimally normal. Then we waited for the blood results to come in. Finally my nurse came by to say the white blood cell level was 1.4 and the doctor had given her permission to start my chemotherapy. Woo Hoo! Who would have thought that I would be happy to get my chemo.
I had to take 2 Benadryl pills and 2 Tylenol pills before the Rituximab could be started. They went down well with my Raspberry Iced Tea that I had brought with me. Then the Rituximab started. The nurse started it off slowly just in case my hives returned. I did not react and she was able to adjust the drip to go in quicker. While the chemo was going in, I read my book. What a surprise when I looked up to see my manager from The Tuck Shop and another employee that I have worked with, standing in front of me! We had a quick visit before they had to move along. I was expecting to be in the chemo lab until 2:30 p.m. but in reality, I was discharged by 12:30 because everything went smoothly with no problems.
Before leaving the hospital, we had to go to the pharmacy in the hospital to pick up some prescriptions for the Dexamethasone pills, Ondansetron pill (anti-nausea) and more prochlorperazine pills (anti-nausea). While hubby went to get my meds, I took that opportunity to drop into the Gift Shop and see some of the volunteers and employees that I have worked with in my job there. Then we went to The Tuck Shop to buy me a case of Raspberry Iced Tea so again, I took the opportunity to see my volunteers that I worked with regularly as well as my manager who was there. I do enjoy running into hospital employees that I know and recognize. It is a like a reward for going through the chemo.
This afternoon, I relaxed and read my current book, "Fly Away" by Kristen Hannah. This is a sequel to "Firefly Lane" which I really enjoyed. One of the side effects of Rituximab and the Benadryl is sleepiness. So I did indulge in a nap this afternoon. I enjoyed a full dinner tonight although I'm still eating smaller portions. Tonight's dinner was boneless pork loin chops with a mango salsa, side veggies of broccoli, apples and cranberries. This was thanks to a dear friend who dropped off some frozen dinners a few weeks ago. We also added corn on the cob.
Tonight, I'm weary and will head to bed around 9:00 p.m. in preparation for the next chemo session tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. I will enjoy my evening watching the Toronto Blue Jays play in Boston against the Boston Red Sox. I'm hoping my daughter will call me tonight as well.
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