2007 Feb 15th - PICC

15 Feb 2007

PICC is in! Category: Life Well it all went well on Wednesday. Took my car to the garage for an MOT and service - telling them I'm off to hospital and may be unable to drive so pick it up Thursday. After 6 visits to mum's bathroom (and she's on a water meter eek) we set off - got there nice and early at 13.45 - appt at 2pm. Dr in a meeting so after a drink, another loo visit it was 14.15 when I found someone who then rang him. I didn't get any local anaesthetic cream!!! It was apparently just a scratch but I tensed a fair bit, and was asked to put my chin on my right shoulder (the arm with the PICC) at which point Doc asked if I could feel it in my throat - "NO!" I said in horror, "oh it's not coming out of your ears either that's good!" what a rotter! His phone was ringing as soon as he'd got gowned up and the nurse and I joked it might be a special lady calling as it was valentine's day ( he denied having feelings for a certain lady Dr at a different hospital as she's about to retire - he looks about my age, mid thirties). Thank god for a sense of humour, because yes there was a very hot puddle of blood on my pillow which had run out of my arm, eeew. Off to x-ray, half hour wait, then to a cubicle - to undress. With one hand. My left hand! Bra - pretty tricky! Half an hour later I was out and dressed again - took a bit longer to put the bra on than take it off. Back to the chemo suite (all chairs though no sofas and they're all waterproof ). Luckily the line is in alright so no wiggling necessary. I had my line flushed (10 ml of warfarinised saline) bloods taken, then flushed again. Plenty of wadding to pad it out and protect it and all held in place with two giant seethrough waterproof plasters. Off to my house to collect daughter and overnight bag - and feed Alfie rabbit. Back to mum's for chicken curry, an alcoholic coffe (for shock of course) and an amaretto (for erm sleep?). Sleeping was a bit tricky since my arm was aching and sore and very cold, but eventually I went off, woke a couple of times but I hadn't bled all over mum's spare bed, so went back to sleep! THURSDAY After picking my newly legal (MOTd) and serviced car we set off for the hospital again - got there early so had a cuppa and a read then off to get my second free arm wax - god that hurts having those plasters taken off. The wound was cleaned again - not much bruising so I was very impressed, I've seen worse after blood tests. That really stings when it's been cleaned up - like poking a grazed knee with a salty stick (or so I imagine). Then I had a statlock stuck on my arm to hold it in place. The nurse (Hylda) went over side effects - nausea, sore hands and feet, gritty and watery eyes - that kind of thing. If I get an infection I'll have to go into hospital for a few days - taking temperature daily from next week then! My first pump of 5FU will be connected to the PICC next Tuesday 2pm and then another the following Tuesday then after that I should be starting my five weeks radio - plus another four weekly pump changes at Lincoln. I now have a bright pink wallet with my chemo record in - to record each treatment and side effects - which I'll need to keep with me at all times. Oh and so long as the delivery arrives I'll get a lovely bum bag to hold the drugs - fabbo! I thought I was going to cry clutching my pink wallet for all to see (I saw another woman had one with her in the chemo suite - hope the men get blue ones!) because it's just one more signal that this is all real. I didn't, there was lunch to be had and shopping to be done! Lunch was yummy, beef cobbler with chips, sweetcorn and mixed veg with black earl grey. Managed to find a pair of jeans to fit my ever expanding butt into - size 14 but I know I'm likely to lose a stone over the next few months and I don't want to lose anything but fat so let it all pile on! Having cancer is NOT a time for dieting or watching what you eat. Thankfully I won't be on steroidal anti-emetics if any because as I'm having chemo 24 hours a day for 6 weeks at a low dose I should be alright. Wandering round the shops for an hour or so is not something I can see me managing after next week, I was knackered by the time we got back to mum's so early night for me tonight. Back to work tomorrow - for how long I don't know. See how Tuesday goes first.