Chemo Continued - Day 2

April 27, 2012

Not much happened today. I got my second shot of Daunorubicin at about 2:15 (pm). Last one comes tomorrow. And the Cytarabine just keeps on pumping, as it will for a total of seven days. It's very low flow though - only 100ml total, or about 0.6ml/hr. (Work it out - 7 days = 168 hours * 0.6 ml/hr = 100.8ml). By contrast, the regular saline or glucose drips are set at 100ml/hr, and the Daunorubicin shot is 122ml, and it's given over about 5 minutes which would be an hourly flow of 1464ml/hr.

Other than this, just the usual 6am vampiricism, a change of my dressing on the Hickson line, and I had a shower! (Interesting task with open wounds that are not supposed to get wet and several tubes leading away from me to various sacs and devices.) I also slept pretty well last night, in contrast to the first night when I got very little, with the pain from the line wounds and a woman in the next room moaning most of the night.

I am still feeling perfectly normal. There is no nausea, fatigue, swelling, vomiting, upset stomach or even hair loss (at least that I can detect above and beyond that which has already happened). This would not make for a interesting TV commercial for a drug who's name is often mentioned but whose purpose is left a mystery. ("Talk to your Doctor to see if X is right for you", despite the fact that X is probably for removing feathers from chickens and you are not of the galliform persuasion.) I suppose the effects of the drugs will be cumulative, though, as I'm told the bad stuff will be starting around day 9 or 10.

WIF visited today around lunch time, though she only brought snacks rather than a full meal this time. After my lunch we went down to the cafeteria for hers. In the evening the screaming hordes arrived, wih Auntie M and Uncle G, SIB2 and Mrs SIB2 and SIB2KID2, bringing (and saying) sweet things.