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In any case, I am happy that I am finished with another round. The blood work went well & my appointment with Dr. Daly went fine. We were about to leave for awhile when he walked through the waiting area. He sent me to see the Picc Line girls. That was fun. NOT QUITE!
In case you don't know what a Picc line is, it's a peripherally inserted central catheter. In case you're none the wiser after that statement (I wasn't), basically they stick a silicone tube in your arm that runs inside the vein up your arm to a much bigger vein close to the heart. This helps to prevent irritation to the vein in my arm & also allows the Dacarbazine to be administered at the regular rate. (1 hr vs. 2 hrs) It will be in my arm until I finish chemo & they will send someone out to change the dressing once a week.
The actual procedure to insert the Picc line was less than pleasant. I thought they would put it in my left arm, as I use my right hand for most things. Nope, apparently the right side is preferable to put the Picc line in. Preferable for who, I'm not sure. The gal who was doing the procedure wasn't too 'warm' - to say the least. She tried my right arm. Thankfully she froze the site. She only got the tube in 15 cm & then it stopped. No luck. She pulled it out & tried another site a little lower. She didn't freeze this site. And it got stuck at 15 cm. Great. That was fun. Her boss came in a few times & tried to hurry her along. Thanks. Rush the job & pay less attention to your patient. Great. Thankfully they called another gal in. Sandra. She was much more pleasant. She tried the left arm & first try she got it. (with freezing) When she was inserting the tube further up my arm, she asked me to try & put my head in my armpit & lift my head off the bed. Then she asked me if I could hear my pulse beating in my ears. Apparently there's a nasty turn in the veins & the Picc line can head up my neck. Just what I need! Chemo in my brain! Yeesh! She taped things up & sent me to Radiology to have a chest x-ray. They needed to make sure the line ended at the right spot. It was 2 cm too close to my heart, so they pulled it out slightly. I was officially ready for treatment.
We left for lunch while they ordered the drugs. As we were exiting the parking lot, I saw a girl that looked a lot like Roxy. It was Roxy! We picked her up & went to Nando's for chicken. I was unaware that we even had a Nando's in Calgary. I knew there was one in Vancouver. What's Nando's? It's a restaurant chain I know from South Africa. I have actually never eaten at the ones in SA, but I know them from their controversial advertisements. Check one out here.
Roxy came into the Treatment Room for a bit & then had to boogie out to the Ranch to help Mom with the books. Jaco left for a bit & had the oil changed. I have to call Mr. Lube & find out when to have the oil changed, as they recorded it to be changed in 500 kms. Yeah. They also wrote down the current mileage as 4 million instead of 4 hundred thousand. Oops.
We finished up just before 1700, which was great, considering we started well after 1300. This Picc line is going to make things A LOT better! Bring it on!!!!
We drove home & spent most of the evening visiting with Roxy. Mom made two of the vegan dishes & we had a nice supper. I got busy on the laptop looking for old photos & before I knew it, it was 0200! Yikes! Time to get to sleep! Usually I sleep straight after chemo, so this was a good thing! I think!
Lekker slaap & Round 8 is done & dusted!!! xxxxMJV&O
Okay, so this photo is pretty rubbish, but this chick had her leg in a brace/cast, her opposite arm in a sling & her only free arm was using the crutch. BUT. She was still able to hobble outside for a ciggy.
The Picc line finally in.
All taped up & ready to roll.
The sick chick & her hubby.
Roxy & the girls warming up.
That's the smile I know & love!
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