Kryptonite

July 5^th-7th 2017- Chemo Day

My best friend Rachel picked me up nice and early. I remember being real nervous. I had no clue what to expect. Was it going to be as bad as how it looks in the movies? Am I going to lose my hair? Will I throw up or be in bed for days? In retrospect, I’d have rather had all those things happen compared to what occurred.

Blue Ridge Cancer Care. It was cold that day. I remember bringing a pillow and some blankets. Rach brought her laptop so that we could watch Outlander, knowing we’d be there a lot of the day. She drove into the curb by accident on the way there. We were all nervous, but I was glad to have her there. Ian was at work and I think it was a good distraction, since he couldn’t help me through this.

The plan was that the first drug of my cocktail would be pumped through my port (under the skin device that goes directly into the vein by your heart) in the cancer center. Four hours of Outlander later, I was tired and a little nauseous, but that was all. Enter 5FU. My Kryptonite as we’d come to find out. That chemo drug was to be taken home and pumped into my port over the next 48 hours. I don’t remember those two days. Or most of the ones following them. I barely remember the ride home.

Ian came home to find me sick in the bathroom. He got me set up in bed with a trash can at my side and tried to let me rest. According to Ian and David I did not eat or sleep for those two days. I threw up every two hours on the spot. I don’t remember, but that sounds awful. If you’ve ever met me, you know how much I love to sleep. I do remember my Aunt Marci coming to pick me up on Friday the 7^th of July to meet Ian at the Cancer Center, so that they could learn how to clean my port. When we arrived I was told that I looked terrible. That’s my favorite compliment. Apparently, I felt terrible though, so I guess the shoe fit.

They had me sit down in a chair and they disconnected me from the 5FU. The nurse took my vitals, but I don’t know what they were. Several nurses examined me and then my doctors came in. Dr. Preston and Dr. Kochenderfer. I wasn’t sure if this was a normal thing or not. The look on my husband’s and aunt’s face said it was not. However, I just wanted to rest. So, did my heart. Dr. K wasn’t sure what was going on. He sent us to Roanoke Memorial Hospital immediately.

I wasn’t used to seeing my aunt not composed. That is what I remember. She is a woman of strength and loyalty and was a teacher to me before I got married. I moved in with my aunt and uncle after my days as a nanny and we had the best times together. They took me in like I was their own daughter. I took care of my aunt after her surgery a few years prior, and now it was her turn to take care of me. She is good at being there. She won’t tell you she will do something without meaning it. Her word is solid.  Marci is also one of the hardest workers I know. When she feels off to me, I get nervous. That day was the most “off” that I ever remember seeing her.

We got to RMH around 12pm. I don’t remember most of this. We stayed on the oncology floor for most of the day. At 1am I thought that I yelled out for help. Apparently, it was actually a faint whisper to my husband. By this point my heart was at 10%. My energy was extremely low, and I don’t remember going to the cardiac ICU. At 3am my oncologist with the cardiac team decided to put me under with full sedation. I woke up 5 days later…

Spoiler Alert: I thought that I had slept for 17 years.

Next you will hear from my aunt and my husband on what happened while I was asleep.