Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Last day of chemo

I got up early this morning, got dressed and went for a walk to blow the cobwebs out.
I think one of the side effects of spending so much time in bed is that you become quite stiff, sore and restless.

In a few minutes I will be hooked up to an IV pump that will run continuously for the next 20+ hours. At Midday the dreaded Melphalan will be administered over fifteen minutes. Several of the doctors and nurses have already warned me of it's nasty side effects. The one good thing is that it's the last of the poisons.

I've prescribed myself 'Nilstat' as a preventative for oral thrush, something I usually develop after chemo. I've also asked the doctors to prescribe a topical antibiotic for a couple of small lumps I have developed on my left temple. As my blood counts drop it is very important to reduce any chance of infection and even something as small as a pimple can become a major problem.

Sarah has taken the day off work and will be my "Ice Queen" today, providing me with a constant source of ice and ice-blocks over a two hour period. This should alleviate some of the problems with mouth ulcers etc.

Tomorrow I get my stem cells back and the road to recovery will start. However I've been warned that most of the side effects won't kick in until the coming days and weeks.
Last night I woke and threw-up for the first time. It was no big deal luckily and after a few short heaves I was feeling OK again. With an empty stomach it wasn't too much of an ordeal.

Shall update later if I'm feeling up to it.

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