idarubicin

All posts tagged idarubicin

First Push, Last Round

Posted by tokenhippygirl on September 16, 2010
Posted in: Food, leukemia, My LiFe. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 comment

We went in today for the first of two pushes in my last consolidation round.  Had to be there at 8:00 this morning, which is tough for a girl who is used to getting up some time between 8:00 and 9:00, but I did it.  Drove in, had the blood draw at 8:00, killed some time for an hour and a half until my appointment with Dr. Bigler at 9:30, he looked me over and the numbers over, said everything was good to go, and we then went over to the chemo area.  I had to wait there for an hour before getting in.  Finally we walked back and I got an IV in… tough, but not too bad, and the saline started.  I then got my pre-meds (some stuff to help me not get nauseas) and about a half an hour later, the push started.  The nurse was great… she pushed a bit slow, making sure it was nice a diluted as it went in (trying to prevent the phlebitis I’ve gotten the last couple of rounds) and then it rinsed through with saline and we were out of there.  I was starving by then… it had been a long time since the morning cheerios, so we went down to the cafeteria in the central office (convenient) and each had a sandwich.  Then home…. Which is the best.  I got to come home.  No hospital stay to get this done.  Just the push… then home.  Nice.  And for dinner tonight?  A salad with chicken, parmesan, eggs, peppers, tomatoes, and blue cheese dressing.  Not to mention a nice piece of toast to go along with it.   I was not neutropenic this morning when my blood draw happened, and we are assuming I am still not neutropenic for at least today and tomorrow.  Probably not until Monday at the earliest… though something we’ve  definitely learned is that each consolidation round is different than the last.  We’re hoping no fevers, no hospitals, no transfusions.  Just a decline during the nadir and then a rise to October 15 and my meeting and start of the maintenance round.  For now though… home sweet home.  It’s nice.

The changes… I got a bit less chemo (they reconfigured because I’m now on outpatient status, based on weight and height… and since I’ve lost 40 pounds the amounts were less) and they also reconfigured the amount of ATRA I’m getting… 9 pills a day instead of 10.  I start that again tonight.  One other thing… I’ll be giving myself a shot every day for a bit starting on Saturday.  It’s called Neupogen… it’s supposed to help my white blood cells recover faster.  My doc is trying to avoid me getting another neutropenic fever.  The shots didn’t seem that bad as I was practicing on a little thing at the chemo center.  We’ll see how it goes as I give them to myself.  I might have to talk Mom into giving me some of them.  We’ll see how it goes.  I don’t know how long I’ll have to do it… probably at least 7 days… but it’s based on my numbers, which the pharmacist (as well as my case manager as usual) will follow them. I might have to go in three days a week instead of the two during this time, we shall see.  Nancy told me to tell the pharmacist that I am already getting my blood draws twice a week.  Maybe that will be good enough… if not, I won’t be doing this too long (hopefully) so it won’t be too bad.  We will do what I have to… as always.  I got refills of zofran (anti nausea med) and a refill on the Ativan ( I was running low). I also got a medicated lozenge for the thrush I’m having after the antibiotics I got in the hospital.  Something I’ve learned with this is that there’s always some little thing.  Part of the process… but hey… we are moving through it.

Taking it day by day… and tomorrow… the last push, which just happens to coincide with my 45th birthday. Two things to celebrate in one day.

Saturday And A Haircut

Posted by tokenhippygirl on August 28, 2010
Posted in: Family, Food, leukemia, My LiFe. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 comments

Hey all…  It’s Saturday.  A day when my honey and I can hang together a bit more…. even though she is still the energizer bunny taking care of the house, the grounds, the shopping, the cleaning, the loads to the dump, and me.  She gave me a haircut today.  I was overdue.  Getting kind of fuzzy on top.  She said it was a bit thinner than last time… maybe this round of chemo is going to take a bit more hair off the top… can’t tell yet.  It’s usually a delayed thing.  For now I’m sportin’ the usual shorty baldy look.  I kind of like it actually.  So easy to take care of.  One tiny drop of shampoo does the whole head.  I probably won’t need another cut for a week or so… Mom will hook me up when I need it when she’s staying with me I’m sure.

I’m a tad tired today.  Just still dealing with the after effects.  It goes in waves.  I at least got on the treadmill this morning for 15 minutes.  Not a super long time, but at least I got on there.  That’s earlier than I did last time I got out of the hospital.  It just felt good to move a little.  I may get on there again tonight for another 15… have to see how I’m doing.  It’s sometimes a moment by moment thing.

So Karen and I, based on last time, are thinking I should be heading toward neutropenia again pretty soon.  Probably by Monday or so… which would be 10 days from the day I started the last treatment.  It was about that last time… maybe a couple of days longer.  Time to make sure there are no fresh veggies and no people with colds around…  It’s a roller coaster.  Just like the doc said… take you down, then build you up, just to take you down again.  All I can think of is that I only have one more consolidation round… and it’s only two days.  Granted it’s back up to full strength of the chemo, but only two days.  The first round… the induction, I had full strength for four days, every other day.  This last time I had a different med at about two thirds full strength for five days straight.  And now I’m rambling…

For now… it’s Saturday… and I got a haircut. One day, one thing, at a time.

Sprung…. Day Four

Posted by tokenhippygirl on July 27, 2010
Posted in: Family, leukemia, My LiFe. Tagged: , , , , . 4 comments

Karen and I got sprung from the hospital today, not long after my last push was completed.  We just got a call from Nancy letting us know what my blood counts were from yesterdays draw.  They only drew me once while we were there and those numbers are stable and still up.  Nancy told us we could skip the draw this Thursday and wait until Monday to start the whole bi-weekly blood draw that I will still be on.  Mondays and Thursdays, like clockwork.  Nice to have a bit of time off though.

So between now and August 20, when I have my next appointment with Dr. Bigler and then possible entry into the hospital again for round three on August 21, we just watch the numbers, see what happens, take precautions again for neutropenia, and see if I have to go in for any transfusions or saline drips.  The biggie is fever, so let’s all hope that doesn’t happen.  If it does I have to go back into the hospital for IV antibiotics.  We were told, and are hoping it’s true, that this time around will be easier on me.  Each round is supposed to be a bit better, let’s keep our fingers crossed.  I know I will feel fatigued and run down again, and I will probably lose even more of my hair (who really cares about that, I’m lookin’ good bald!  LOL), and I may be occasionally nauseas or get a bit of diahrrea.  As long as it’s not too bad and there is no fever to go along with it, we will be able to manage me here.  And again, that’s what we are hoping for.  We were told my numbers should drop after 5-10 days after my first push.  That puts the start of the decline anywhere between tomorrow and probably some time this weekend.  I don’t know how long they will stay down before rising again, it’s sort of a personal thing, related to me and how I respond.  I guess we shall see.

For now here I am, back in the family room.  I’m tired from the nights in the hospital where a person can’t get more than a few hours of sleep without interruption.  It will be nice for both Karen and I to be sleeping back at home again.  Me in the bed and she on the air mattress next to the bed (I am currently sweating chemo and very toxic so there is no close proximity allowed… not safe for her).  Still, we will both sleep better here.  We just do.  It’s home.

One nice thing… we missed the major heat wave.  There are blessings in every situation.  That was one of ours being in the hospital during the big hot weather.

Now… I’m watching some Dateline thing we DVR’d and my honey is taking a shower.  She just cleaned the house, including cleaning the fresh veggies and fruits out of the fridge and moving the potatoes into the shop, and freezing the blueberries. Getting ready for that neutropenic stage again.  We did this before, so I’m not too worried about it, we know what to do.  I may not even become neutropenic, but the doc said it would probably happen, just not for as long as I was before.  Yay!

Right now I’m just enjoying the fans blowing on me and being home again.  Love it….

Push Number 3 is History Folks

Posted by tokenhippygirl on July 26, 2010
Posted in: Family, Food, leukemia, My LiFe. Tagged: , , , , . 5 comments

Here we are…. day three.  It’s quarter to three and I’ve had breakfast and the morning ATRA, I took a shower, Karen has been working like a fiend with meeting and after meeting this morning (so nice though that she can work from here), we scored another ONC verizon internet portable modem for her so we can both be online for free (nice since last time she bought one and paid $50 for it… she thought she would have to do that again, but didn’t… yay!), I had the adventure of them trying to get another IV in, I got my third push, and have eaten lunch (ceaser chicken wrap, baked lays, peaches, and an iced tea).

The IV thing was, once again, a bit of a process.  One person tried twice and couldn’t get one in.  One in my hand blew, only not as badly as the one last week when I got my biopsy.  That IV nurse then called for reinforcements while they gave me an Atavan to try and help calm me and wrapped both my arms in very warm blankets and towels trying to get my veins to rise.  Wow.  Luckily the second lady had the touch and got a line in on her first attempt.  Whew.  The push went without incident except for a bit of a burning sensation.  Probably a bit too fast on the push, but at least the vein held.  One more to go and we are out of here in the afternoon tomorrow and back home for recovery.  If I hold true to form I won’t feel any real negative effects for nearly a week, if I feel any harsh ones at all.  I’m sure there will be something or another, but we’re hoping for not as bad.  Fingers and toes crossed and all good thoughts, wishes, and prayers coming my way accepted.  :-)  It’s going to feel good getting out of here tomorrow and going home.  After the inordinately long stay last time, it will be good to leave after only a few days, accomplishing our mission with expediency and all success.  After this only two more rounds to go. Woo Hoo!!

Day Two

Posted by tokenhippygirl on July 25, 2010
Posted in: Family, leukemia, My LiFe. Tagged: , , , . 2 comments

Day two… We didn’t get more than four hours of sleep. A bummer. The adjustment and all of coming back into the hospital I think. Otherwise though it’s been a pretty good day.

The push was a little bit of an event. Nothing big really, just mostly my anxiety because the site was tender and Gracy didn’t get any blood return when she tried to flush it. I’ve had two sites blow out, and it’s painful when that happens. So my anxiety was such that I needed an Atavan to come down from it all. After trying with two flushes, putting a hot pack on my IV site (which was my left hand), and still not getting any pain or swelling we went ahead with the push. It worked, but like I said, the site was tender and ached through the process so my anxiety was high. If it blew with Ida I could have that toxic poison in my arm and that could’ve stared killing cells and such…. Scary to me. Luckily that didn’t happen, but afterwards Gracy removed that IV site. I will get a new one in the morning before my third push. I am such a tough IV for them. Deep veins that shrink up when I get tense and I get tense every time because of all the issues I’ve had. But hey, only two more to go this time around and I’ll get through it. They will get a good site in and I will get those pushes and get home on Tuesday afternoon after the last of them. That’s our plan anyway.

Otherwise it’s been a good day. Took a shower, watched a bunch of movies, Karen got to talk to Mary for an hour or hour and a half while she walked around the hospital grounds, I talked to Mom who called to check in from camping at Davis Lake, Kev came to visit and joined us for our mile walk doing laps around the unit and a trip to the cafeteria to get ice cream. Yum. I had left over Thai food for dinner, also yum!, and Karen had some mac and cheese from the cafeteria. She said it was a bit bland, but it was Ok.

A side note here…. I love my honey. So very much. She keeps me sane and grounded and constantly makes me feel cared for and loved. I am so very lucky. So lucky.

I haven’t had any nausea today. Yay! Though I didn’t last time either until about a week after I was done with the pushes so in all actuality if I do have any reactions they will probably happen some time after we get home. I might also need a transfusion or two since my numbers are going to fall again. Not sure if they will go as low as they were since it varies by patient. But it’s a real possibility that I might need at least one. They can do those at interstate on an outpatient basis or here at the hospital. We also don’t know if I’ll be neutropenic again or not. I’ll be getting regular blood draws so we will know what’s up with me. I’m also back on the Atra until August 7. It’s a complex and involved process, but it’s a process that’s getting me to that place of being past this and that makes it all totally worth it. Yes it does!