HSCT Journals

First Day Chemo: February 4 – Continued

by | Feb 5, 2022 | Blog Posts, HSCT Journals | 12 comments

We arrived at the Oncology clinic at 1:30pm where I had my own personal room, recliner, TV, and a private rest room, along with a sofa for Fernando to chill nearby. He’s quite lovely by the way, and immediately took on the task of tracking down some food for me since I hadn’t anything since 9:30am.


I guess while explaining that my veins suck to the nurse which section of which vein was the ONLY good area, I inadvertently freaked the poor lady big time. She was so stressed at potentially missing the ‘spot’ for the IV catheter (stays in for 2 days) that she showed me her trembling hands afterwards. She got it in first try though, what a champ! I felt so terrible about scaring her so I did my best to make light, and gave her some candy to help ‘sweeten’ the situation. Everything was smooth going forward and we were pals (or maybe lol?).

Drug treatment for the day, for those who are interested this is the list of meds (aside from my standard pharma cabinet) that I was given:

1 hour before treatment oral Aprepitant 125mg (or Emend an antiemetic used for acute and delayed nausea and vomiting)


VIA IV:
Ondansetron 8mg (anti-nausea)
Dexamethasone 4mg (steroid)
Aprepitant 40mg (2nd dose, as mentioned above, used as anti-nausea/prevent vomiting)
Pantoprazole 40mg (PPI, similar class of Omaprozole)
Cyclophosphamide 2200mg (chemotherapy dosage based on 50mg/kg body weight)
MESNA 2000mg (used to prevent hemorrhagic cystitis/bleeding in the bladder from chemo)
Ondansetron 8mg (as above)
Saline flush

Sometime around 3:30pm my salmon, kale and quinoa bowl arrived and (dang) was I happy to eat. I should mention that we need to drink 2L of water with electrolytes in it during the infusions as it’s key to flush out the toxic by-products of the chemo.

I had zero interest in food when we returned to the condo at 6pm. However, I was feeling well enough to complete a thorough stretching session while trying to find some Olympic coverage. I brought my ROKU 4K stick with me hoping it would cover the Games, but it’s smarter than me, and picked up I was in another country (like duh, of course of it would). Basically my access to viewing the Olympics was going to be via the TV schedule only. Better than nothing, right?

Took my standard pain/sleep meds, along with more oral Ondansetron (8mg) @ 8:30pm.

I was in bed 9pm and all of a sudden my brain felt like a freight train slammed into it, and ploughed right through it. It’s a super weird feeling, perhaps like a cross between being somewhat drunk and having a nasty migraine brewing. I took some Tylenol to mitigate the symptoms.

I had been warned that I’d be potentially up every 30 minutes through the night to go pee (due to the chemo/MESNA), and if I was going to barf, it would then. Prepared with all the necessary items (commode, barf bucket, etc.) beside my bed I closed my eyes.

As it turned out I had zero issues through the night, woke up early feeling fairly normal for me. I have to be ready for 9am pick up today (February 5th).

12 Comments

  1. Zeta

    You are such a trooper beautiful Jenny 🦋🌸

    Reply
  2. Amanda

    Here’s hoping for another mostly uneventful day. I can’t remember if it was day 1 or 2 of chemo that my lower back pain went away. Hope you get the same sense of relief. <3

    Reply
  3. Sandra

    You are so amazingly strong! I’m so glad you were able to do your stretching session and had zero issues last night! Hoping this trend continues. Sending hugs and positive vibes.

    Reply
  4. sarah J

    Round 1, ding ding din, Go Jenny!

    Reply
  5. Chantel

    Sending lots of love for the journey. Hoping things continue to go as smooth as possible and you get to watch as much of the Olympic events that your big heart desires. 🌹 xo

    Reply
  6. Jill

    I’m happy that Fernando is so lovely…you obviously aren’t feeling so bad that you can’t appreciate loveliness! hahah!
    Your private room looks very nice. I’m glad that you’re being pampered, and with Fernando looking after you, I hope this will help you through the tough times to come. You are so strong and determined, and I’m so proud of you. Good luck with everything, and thank you for keeping us all up to date on your progress.
    Love you so much, Mum

    Reply
  7. Lynn

    Go Jenny Babes!
    Round 1 of your Olympics
    Positively Positive
    Keep it coming
    Love you!!!xox

    Reply
  8. Nicole

    Look at your strength. You have much more willpower than I do. Your going through tough medical treatments and still pushing forward with stretching. I’ve been yelling myself I need to exercise, apparently I don’t hear myself think. Hugs ❤️

    Reply
  9. Jillian

    Thanks for the update Jenny. I’ve been thinking about you❤️🤞🏼🙏🏼🌸

    Reply
  10. Carolyn

    Thank you for keeping us updated on your journey. Sending positive thoughts and a huge hug. Can’t wait to see you in July. 🤗❤️

    Reply
  11. Nicole E.

    Hi Jenny
    Your Roku stick I think would work if you had a VPN as it would show your still in Canada.
    A VPN is also very good for added security.

    Reply
  12. Melanie C

    Catching up on your posts! What a roller coaster. Wishing for the best from here on out!

    Reply

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