David had his first dose of chemo this morning, he said he has thrown up several times. His nurse was a real advocate for him last night and requested that the doctor prescribe his Emend (an extremely expensive anti-nausea medication) the night before so he won't get so nauseous. He received a dose of Cytarabine this morning and will receive another dose tonight and two again tomorrow. Mesna is another drug David received. I read that it's used to reduce the undesired side effects of certain chemotherapy drugs. It is referred to as a "chemoprotectant" like prevention of ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis (syndrome of bleeding and irritation of the bladder). They are also giving him Zofran for nausea and Bactrim as an antibiotic.
Starting Sunday we will begin getting Cyclophosphamide. He's had these chemos before and they really makes him feel badly. He'll receive two dosages on Sunday and two again on Monday. Tuesday he should get a break and then hopefully the donor's bone marrow will arrive on Wednesday.
His counts were good today. WBC was 3.26, Hemoglobin was 11.6, platelets was 66 ( he starts to feel lousy when they get below 20.
The doctor had to stitch up some of the incision where they inserted his Hickman catheter. Chrissy and the kids got to watch while they did the stitching on Skype. Yesterday they wouldn't let him eat for most of the morning as they contemplated having a new line put in.
He had an appetite for dinner and ordered quite a tray full. Tacos, macaroni & cheese, fruit, mashed potatoes, corn, apple pie & green tea. However, after about eating maybe half (or less) of it he says he can taste the chemo coating the inside of his mouth and it ruins the taste of the food.
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| David having his dinner |
He had to take a bath today in an antibiotic solution, it had a yellowish color and small bubbles in the water (to me the bath water looked like pee L). The nurse ran the water for 5 minutes to "clear" the lines of any minerals or bacteria and then put the solution in the tub. David had to cover his central line before bathing because he can't get it wet.
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| David's bathwater |
The Riverside dispatchers were very generous today. Sandy Rinks and her husband along with other dispatchers; Amanda, Karie and Stacey came and helped Chrissy at their home. Chrissy was able to go get some serious grocery shopping done while Amanda watched the kids. Karie & Sandy helped clean and Sandy's husband mowed the lawns ( in 113 degree heat), fed and played with the dogs and weeded. Stacey arrived with a lasagna dinner. They also brought cupcakes, did crafts with the kids and brought a flower arrangement. Chrissy said they spent the whole day and it was a wonderful blessing.
Chrissy had a disappointment. She had ordered a fountain to keep in David room so David could sleep to the sound of running water. However, the doctor's are concerned that the fountain could end up growing mold or bacteria in the water and wanted it removed. Any bacterial infection could be very dangerous for David. As a reminder David can't have any live plants or flowers in his room.
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