It is the bright spot in my day.
Back on Revlimid, which means that I am functioning like a cell phone that needs very badly to be charged.
The plan was to get up and get things done. Get to infusion, get out, meet up with Tommy for his birthday and be in the Boston Public Library for the Lowell Lecture series event tonight featuring Dennis Lehane.
Not exactly a jam packed day.
First, I was in total slo-mo. But that's ok, it will pick up. Plus there is frequently a boost when they give me the steroid. That will likely propel me through the second part of the day.
I manage to shower and dress and be ready for my Dad to drop me off a little early for my 1 pm appointment.
I am checked in at 1:02 pm. I am in the chair.....and....boom....out like a light. People come and go, I struggle to stay awake. I fail.
They finally put in the IV and draw my blood at 2 pm. Damnit! Sixty minutes wasted! I tell them I am going to get a cup of tea. I think this will help me. I have to wait 60 minutes for the results, so I want to be alert at 3 pm to get going and make my lecture. Clearly, I won't make lunch with Tom. I go across to Starbucks, get tea and a muffin. When I return I make a point of standing at the window and flipping through some magazines. I want to be on task at 3 pm. Dr. Miller and Kate came in to talk to me. That was a little aggravating too. There were questions about the chest pains Monday night and previous episodes of shortness of breath. But I am getting things jumbled up. Finally he asks if there were ever anything before I met him and I burst out laughing. NO! Life was good back then. There were no problems.
I hear him ask Elizabeth if she needs anything and she tells him to sign my orders. There can be no drugs till he signs the orders. So I relax. I am good to go...right?
No, I fall asleep and the first IV bag of steroids comes in 25 minutes later! Criminey! I try walking around again. But the chair draws me back in and I fall asleep. Now it's 4:25 and they are just giving me the Velcade. They still haven't even started the pamidronate and that takes two hours. I figure they close at 5 pm and they will just cancel it. But NO!!! They stay until 7 pm. they start the pamidronate at 4:45 pm and finish at 6:45 pm.
The lecture was at 6 pm.
Fine, I am going to go up the street to PF Chang's and have wonton. I just need them to unhook me. But it's a nurse who doesn't know me and even that blows.
"Oh! You're a bleeder!"
It's on the floor, it's on my hands, it's on my effing sweatshirt. I told her to turn the light on and she wouldn't.
I leave, the bathroom is locked for the night....always good news for someone on Lasix. But I make it to PF Chang's. Use the facilities. Wash up my blood stained hands (I washed at the sink in infusion, but I was so dopey I missed some).
I order wontons and a Coke and finally relax. They were fabulous. I got some noodles to go....no mushrooms please. But you know that was too much to ask for. I stood over the bucket in my parent's kitchen and picked out the mushrooms.
But after that I put Nutella on some crackers and now everything is good.
I am going to watch Fringe and stop thinking about infusion. I go back in 10 days. I have pushed for longer breaks between previous cycles, but there are no plans. Might as well get it over with.
Jen insists she is going with me from now on. They better watch out.
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