Chemo session 1

I approached this appointment with [my now famous?] trepidation: a mixture of feelings stirred up by the well publicised side effects, the still-sore Hickman line and the thought of 4-5 hours in hospital. Fortunately, so far, the experience has been easier than my pre-conceptions.

Given the toxicity of the drugs and the way they are being main-lined directly above the heart, there's quite a lot of procedure and paraphernalia involved. The drugs are made up immediately before use and delivered to the ward in a "radio-active" style plastic box covered with warning labels. A fully laden tray of sterile packages already lay waiting in my day room.

The whole process involves lots of flushing of lines to keep them patent, clean and free of active drugs. Firstly I was given a steroid and anti-emetic these drugs reduce the effects of sickness and increase the effectiveness of the chemotherapy that follows. Half an hour later, the lines were flushed and I was given Oxaliplatin and folinic acid together (the Hickman line has two lumens to permit simultaneous infusions) - folinic acid has a vitamin effect like folic acid. This infusion takes 2 hours. Once this is complete the fluorouracil (5-FU) is given as a large bolus with alongside saline and finally a very simple pump is fitted  which infuses 5-FU at a low rate (2ml per hour) for the next 48 hours - I'm wearing it now in a bum bag.

I'd had to get up a few times to take my infusion stand for a walk to the bathroom. I was aware of getting cold and my socks felt cold on the carpet. one of the most common symptoms of Oxaliplatin is a substantially increased sensitivity to cold which can trigger other systems.

Up to this point I had felt generally fine, but almost suddenly I felt hot and flushed and somewhat overwealmed. The nurses call this the Oxaliplatin rush which occurs commonly a couple of hours after the drug is administered. I lay quietly on the bed for an hour before being discharged when Sarah returned from picking the kids up from school.

The nurse suggested that I keep a side-effects journal. Here it is...

When I got home I went straight to bed and stayed there for the afternoon and evening. I felt extremely tired - exhausted, a bit like coming down with man-flu. My mind was pretty active, but the body just said no. I didn't even feel like holding a book. I felt hot and my head and legs ached like flu. I could feel a tingling sensation in my finger tips but only when I raised my arms. My mouth felt dry, but tasteless. I was acutely aware of draughts, especially around my head, so I have taken to wearing a thin headscarf which I used extensively when training for the Bath half-marathon. I drink only warm drinks, wash my hands only in warm water and I leave a pair of under-gloves attached to the fridge. With the headscarf and a pair of light pyjamas - I look quite a picture! I get a tightening of the jaw when I start to eat but it quickly subsides. My eyes felt a bit dry and gritty last night - but not significantly. I suffer a few sniffles - but not much. I am aware of a vague nausea but this usually goes if I have a nibble on something.

In summary, it appears that I have experienced many of the side effects, but - aside from the tiredness, in a much less acute fashion than I expected. I've been told this my get worse as the drugs have a cumulative effect - but all in all, I feel calm and like I'm coping well.

A quiet weekend is on the cards and I am confident that I will spend much of it resting in bed. Once again - many thanks for all your messages of encouragement and good wishes.

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