So lady and gentleman the wait is finally over. Andrew began his long and tiring chemo treatment on Monday at Reston Hospital under the care of Johns Hopkins. He checked into the hospital at 7:30 am and after a battery of questions he began his 2 hour long saline drip. Saline helps the chemo not to burn the veins when it enters. Around 12 noon the first 2 actually drugs were hung to help protect Andrew's kidney's. They are called recovery drugs. The chemo is so potent that recovery drugs are necessary every few hours to protect his vital organs, especially his kidney's, from failure. Finally around 2 pm, the real stuff was hung. The drip will hang for 48 hours and be infused into his mediport in 20 ml. increments. That's about 1 1/2 teaspoons an hour. That tells you the strength of the drugs. The other 2 drugs that complete this combo were given in shot form into one of the splits in his port.
The nurses here at Reston are great. Andrew has a private room and bathroom/shower area which is great. His also has 2 huge windows that allow lots of Virginia sun to shine in on him. In general, Monday was a pretty uneventful day. He only needed one shot of anti-nausea medicine and a few extra pain pills. They are keeping the pain under control for him. His only real complaint was that one of the chemo drugs makes him hot but we are able to control that with a wash cloth and ice and his also gets uncontrollable hiccups -- which in my opinion are so funny. He of course, does not find them as funny. But with a cup full of warm water and a spoonful of sugar, the nurses have been able to keep them under, some, control.
Though I did not spend the night in the hospital with him so that he could get some sleep, I've learned from the nurses on staff that he had a little bit of a rough night. He couldn't sleep and felt sick most of the night. They were able to help with another anti-nausea shot but he still didn't sleep that much.
At some point this morning he did fall back to sleep and is currently in a deep slumber right now, which I am thankful for. At about 10 am they will hang another recovery drug for 30 minutes and Dr. Felice, his oncologist, is back from vacation today and will be at the hospital to see him.
Linda and Pete will also be making an appearance at some point around lunch. Mom has been great and has done all of our laundry, played with the dog and is even cleaning the house today. Dad mowed the grass which took him all of 3 minutes (since our lawn is the size of a postage stamp). He proceeded to then cut parts of the common area and continuously asks what he is to do with the rest of the day now that he has killed all of 5 minutes total. He jokes that it takes longer to put gas in the mower than it does to actually do the cutting -- we can't all live on 8 acres Big Man!!!
But Andrew is doing well. Chemo is tuff on everyone but with lots of family help and a few laughs along the way --- will help the medicine go down!!!
UPDATE THIS AFTERNOON
Dr. Felice has helped Andrew out and come to the rescue. Andrew is now getting a shot of Adivan every 6 hours to help with nausea. The side effect is that all he does is sleep now. The doctor said sleep is better than anything for him, so currently he and my dad (who is in the recliner) and taking a long siesta.
The nurses here at Reston are great. Andrew has a private room and bathroom/shower area which is great. His also has 2 huge windows that allow lots of Virginia sun to shine in on him. In general, Monday was a pretty uneventful day. He only needed one shot of anti-nausea medicine and a few extra pain pills. They are keeping the pain under control for him. His only real complaint was that one of the chemo drugs makes him hot but we are able to control that with a wash cloth and ice and his also gets uncontrollable hiccups -- which in my opinion are so funny. He of course, does not find them as funny. But with a cup full of warm water and a spoonful of sugar, the nurses have been able to keep them under, some, control.
Though I did not spend the night in the hospital with him so that he could get some sleep, I've learned from the nurses on staff that he had a little bit of a rough night. He couldn't sleep and felt sick most of the night. They were able to help with another anti-nausea shot but he still didn't sleep that much.
At some point this morning he did fall back to sleep and is currently in a deep slumber right now, which I am thankful for. At about 10 am they will hang another recovery drug for 30 minutes and Dr. Felice, his oncologist, is back from vacation today and will be at the hospital to see him.
Linda and Pete will also be making an appearance at some point around lunch. Mom has been great and has done all of our laundry, played with the dog and is even cleaning the house today. Dad mowed the grass which took him all of 3 minutes (since our lawn is the size of a postage stamp). He proceeded to then cut parts of the common area and continuously asks what he is to do with the rest of the day now that he has killed all of 5 minutes total. He jokes that it takes longer to put gas in the mower than it does to actually do the cutting -- we can't all live on 8 acres Big Man!!!
But Andrew is doing well. Chemo is tuff on everyone but with lots of family help and a few laughs along the way --- will help the medicine go down!!!
UPDATE THIS AFTERNOON
Dr. Felice has helped Andrew out and come to the rescue. Andrew is now getting a shot of Adivan every 6 hours to help with nausea. The side effect is that all he does is sleep now. The doctor said sleep is better than anything for him, so currently he and my dad (who is in the recliner) and taking a long siesta.
