Chemo Infusion #3

Chemo Infusion #3 went surprisingly well today. After a good night’s sleep, Rianne rose at 6:00, took a 10 minute walk on the treadmill, showered and we were on the road by 7:00. We walked into the Treatment Facility at North Bend Medical Center in Coos Bay before 9:00 and her Oncology Nurse had her blood drawn in minutes. She began the infusion around 10:00. As usual, Rianne felt some anxiety but got the butterflies out with a deep breath or ten. I was impressed with her once again today because she had nothing to complain about and did everything she could do to stay relaxed and comfortable. Teresa, her Oncology Nurse for today, is one of her favorites and really sees to it that Rianne is cared for in the most professional manner possible, yet laughs and jokes with her to keep her spirits up.
I left Rianne in good hands around 1:00pm to do some shopping and returned a couple of hours later. Rianne texted me asking for her new pain prescription because she could feel a headache coming on due to one of the medications in the R-CHOP regimen. She was taking hydrocodone for her pain during the past 2 cycles, but the Tylenol in it actually caused her headache to WORSEN for some reason. She has said numerous times that Tylenol causes difficulties for her. A week ago, when she was fighting pain from the anemia and blood transfusion, she fought herself to take the hydrocodone for pain. She basically took herself off of it and substituted Advil in it’s place. The ibuprofen kept her afloat, but the pain wasn’t really under control, so a change was necessary. It was frustrating her and it also frustrated me. I spoke with her Oncologist about dumping the hydrocodone and prescribing oxycodone. The medication worked well for my back pain during the recovery period from my back surgery in December of 2009. The Oncologist approved it and she tried it today. Within 15 minutes of taking the pill she could feel a change in her pain level for the better. The rest of the day went extremely well for her and we hope that the oxycodone will continue to help keep her pain at bay.
We left the facility around 5:00 and headed straight for Gold Beach. Today was one of the best trips we’ve made to Coos Bay since her diagnosis was made. Considering that she received poison all day long through her Port to kill off the cancer cells, she felt surprisingly well. When we arrived at home she made a couple of phone calls, wound down a little more and called it a day around 9:30pm.
The roller coaster ride was at a peak today and it feels good, but we know how quickly things can change. 3rd cycle; 3rd time to see if we can pattern what she may feel as she goes through the week. We documented her progress daily during the 2nd cycle and discovered similarities from the 1st cycle. During this, the 3rd cycle, we may know what to expect as she crosses some timelines and possibly make her week flow smoother than it did during the earlier cycles.
I’m incredibly proud of my wife’s progress throughout this battle! She has made some lifestyle changes for the better to fight the cancer. She remains strong and positive and she accepts full responsibility for her nutrition and health habits. She wouldn’t want it any other way!