A few things changed - again. Apparently there was not enough time to schedule the MUGA scan, so they did an echo-cardiogram. I'm not thoroughly convinced that it was a time factor. My gut tells me that it may have has something to do with his insurance balking at paying for the test. Time, though, is critical and it would not have been in his best interest to hold up the treatments and waste time making a dozen calls to the insurance company, since his doctor assured us that the echo-cardiogram would be able to assess the heart function.
Tuesday he went in for the port. The procedure was scheduled for 1 PM and they told him to get to the hospital an hour ahead of time, so we arrived about 11:45. After about 1/2 wait, we were taken into a pre-op room where we waited again. About 1:30 a nurse came in and put in the IV line, but didn't hook it up to any fluids. About an hour later, someone came in and moved us to the surgery floor, where we waited until 3 when the doctor finally came in and explained the procedure. Finally, around 3:30 the nurse came in, hooked his IV up and he was taken into surgery a short time later. He came out a bit after 4 and I sat with him while he slowly woke up. We walked out of the hospital about an hour later.
During the 6 hours we were there, and not counting the surgery time, we may have had a total of 15 min of contact with hospital personnel, and that's being generous. I have to say that this hospital, which is supposed to have a great reputation as a long-time teaching hospital and is a noted trauma center in NJ, seemed to be the most unorganized and disinterested in their patients. Pete, who hadn't eaten all day, was ravenous by the time we were heading home, so we stopped for a few slices of pizza on the way, which he quickly devoured during the rest of the ride.
Wednesday he had his first infusion. They did the normal blood work and started the first drip around 10. He insisted that I not wait around the whole day, so I left around 10:30. We texted a few times during the day and I went back around 4. He finished up a little before 5 and we were back home about half past.
I ate a quick dinner and ran over to Costco pharmacy to pick up the Rx's that the doctor had called in for him. Thank goodness for medical insurance, because one of them was over $1,000! His copay on that one was $50.
He was a bit tired from the long day, but was ready for Day 2 the next morning. His father, who lives 1 street over and works just a couple of miles from the oncology center, picked him up and also brought him home after the treatment.
There were more Rx's that needed to be picked up and Pete was still feeling pretty good, so he went to Costco with Bruce and I. Since Pete's a pharmacy tech at Costco and has worked there since it first opened in the early 90's, it took him quite a while to make his way to the pharmacy area and back out. Word must have spread like wildfire that he was there because so many of the workers were finding him and chatting. He was even stopped by several customers, most elderly, who were some of his "regulars" at the pharmacy counter. Everyone was so happy to see him, asked how he was doing and wished him well. It must have made him feel pretty good and I have to say it made me proud to know he's the kind of person that elicits that kind of response from people, whether they are co-workers or customers.
Today is the final day of infusion. His father took him there this morning and I'll be picking him up when the day is over. So far, everything is going well for him. He's been getting the anti-nausea meds interspersed with the chemo and other drugs to counteract the bad side-effects, and has been taking all the oral meds at home as instructed. He was advised, over and over, to take the oral anti-nausea drugs for several more days even if he doesn't feel sick because if you wait until you start to feel sick, it's too late.
It's been our experience, and is in line with everything that I've read, that the 3rd day after chemo is when things generally deteriorate. Tomorrow is the 3rd day after the first infusion, so we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that the next few days go as smoothly as possible.
Friday Evening Update: Ok, he's home and exhausted. He just about got in the house, stumbled to his room, flopped down on his bed and fell fast asleep. I had to go to pick up his "Nulasta" injection for tomorrow. I thought the other Rx was pricey - this one has it beat hands down! One injection, just one, and the cost is just pennies shy of $3,500. How do people without insurance handle this?
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