January 2, 2014--Infusion Day

Of all of the experiences I had up to this point, this was the one that made me the most nervous.  I had so much information, had heard so many stories and understood that every person's experiences are different so it's difficult to determine what mine was going to bring.

We began with a visit with Dr. Ward reviewing all the previous information making sure we have an understanding of what's facing us.  My blood work had been done previous, so this time would not need to be drawn.  Heidi, the nurse walked us down to the 2nd floor to introduce us to the infusion floor.  The Huntsman is such an amazing hospital with amazing staff and every time I go there am overwhelmed by their care and concern.

It was explained to us that the infusion room is set up in pods with six different infusion chairs in each pod.  It's a very beautiful room with comfortable chairs, TVs, and all the comforts for their patients.  Very Amazing.

We were introduced to our infusion nurse Brittany.  The port was GREAT.  Brittany pushed in that little needle and we were on our way.  The port needed to be checked to make sure it was working properly. YEAH!!!!, it was and then flushed with saline.  All very technical and then it all began with our friend, anti nausea medicine, followed by antibiotics.  These all took about 10-15 minutes each.  So begins the the really important stuff.  The nurse gowns up in their radiative gear (just kidding), but seriously protective gear to protect them from the heavy chemo they administer every day.  The first chemo begins with 3 tubes of Adriamycin that individually are administered into the port by the nurse.  Each tube takes about 15 minutes.  The port is flushed with saline and the second chemo Cyclophosphamide is hung via IV and takes an hour to complete.  The process is once again followed by a saline flush aaaand we're done with NUMBER 1.
Kelly, with the camera, made sure he got a picture of this day.

Brittany talked almost the whole three hours, once again explaining the processes that were going on and what to expect.  Kelly and my head were on overload and were ready to explode by the time we left.  Kelly actually had to get and walk away for some distance for a few minutes and give his head a breather.

Our Social worker Lisa Gauchay paid us a visit when we arrive at infusion and spent a half an hour talking about concerns.  I love, so much, that she spends time engaging Kelly and getting a feel for where he is at and allowing him to voice his concerns and feelings.

We decided on Noodles and Company for dinner.  Found my mew favorite there "Thai Hot Pot Noodles".
The evening didn't carry on as well.  I began with a terrible headache that carried through the evening and night till noon the next day.  However, all in all the day went well and we were both grateful to have number one under the belt.!!!!!!