Infusion Numero Uno

October 17th was our first infusion treatment. It perplexes me as to why they call it “infusion”? I think of that liquid yogurt every time I hear the word. But I imagine it is better than saying we are going to put poison in your system to kill off just about every living cell in your body? But if you really think about, chemo’s overall objective in the long run is to replace the cells that are harmful to you, with ones that are healthy. So I suppose I can see the rationale of why they call it an “infusion.”

We arrived at Medical City early as they told us it would take a few hours for the infusion to take place. I am sure my mom was nervous because she probably had all those chemo side effects running through her head, combined with the fear of the unknown – it was a bit overwhelming.

From the time we entered the infusion room at Med City, everyone was super nice and attentive. My brother (Andy) and I (my dad had issues of his own – more on that later) got my mom all settled into the big blue chairs and introduced ourselves to the two other families in the infusion room.

You get a lot of perspective meeting other people who have cancer and have faced treatments. Not saying our situation was any less overwhelming or insignificant in comparison, but talk to someone who has had 48 chemo treatments – and you count your blessings as you start your own journey.

As much as it sucked seeing my mom go through surgery and having to gear her up for chemo and radiation, in comparison to some - we were blessed!

Moving forward … they found her vein pretty quickly and started her pre-meds. My mom’s pre-chemo cocktail consisted of benadryl to offset any allergic reaction, decadron to control the nausea and some fluids for hydration. So far …so good and my mom was even able to enjoy a nice lunch of grilled salmon. Hospital food has gone haute cuisine since we were last here!

Once pre-meds were done, next came the chemo – Taxol. This was dripped over a 3 hour period and once they started it, if my mom was going to have an allergic reaction – we would know pretty quick.

After the nurse covered herself in a giant blue, re-enforced lab coat – complete with matching blue gloves, she hung the bag of Taxol and we watched…and watched…and watched. Every few minutes my brother or I would look at my mom and ask “feeling okay”? I am sure she was sick of us asking and staring at her like a fat man eyeing a giant pork chop!

So far…so good, please continue – after the Taxol finished its run through he IV tubing it was time to bring in the Carboplatin. This was the second of the chemo drugs and by far the quickest to drip – by chemo standards. The Carboplatin was hung, still no side effects and after 30 minutes we were ready to go home.

Helpful Hints:

Since I have already disclosed my trepidation about being in hospitals, we brought our own pillow and blanket for my mom to snuggle with. Music is good – be sure to program those Ipods/MP3 players with soothing and enjoyable sounds. Magazines, books a favorite game or some project like writing thank-you cards should be considered – you are going to have a lot of time to get a few things done!

Talk – it’s okay to talk while infusion is going on – you will be able to tell when the person receiving chemo is sick of you and ready to close their eyes for a quick nap. Some people are just little chatter boxes and social by nature, like my mom. You can have some pretty meaningful (and goofy) conversations in the infusion room. Just be mindful of others in the room that might be resting.

Be yourself – my mom said that one of the things she really enjoyed about having me around was my ability to make her laugh. Laughter is the best medicine you know! Obviously, you have to be aware of when and were you joke around, but when it’s appropriate, don’t be afraid to let lose!

Case in point …after 5 hours of sitting in an infusion chair watching bags of chemo drip – you are so ready to go home. During the last 15 minutes of the carboplatin my mom looked at me and asked if that stuff could hurry it up a little …without skipping a beat I told her I had been secretly contemplating squeezing the bag for the past hour, but I was afraid she would smack me! After a good belly laugh (complete with snort) my mom reached over, grabbed my hand and said “You always make me smile.”

It’s cancer, people…it sucks but every now and then those rays of hope and joy come rushing through – embrace them!