For those of you bad with needles, IV's, or have weaker veins but don't want to get a portcath. My veins have held up decently well, but I had to get stuck 5 times yesterday, so I asked for them to leave my IV in my arm for the next day (yes, it's possible). They do so by using cobalt to hold the line down nicely and giving you a compression stocking to ensure nothing comes loose. It can stay in for three days, so I'll have it taken out Wednesday after chemo.
Pros:
1. Knowing I'm not getting stuck today takes the edge off the whole process. I had a bad experience with needles as a little kid, so having that memory in the back of my mind has made getting poked the most stressful part of the hospital routine.
2. Your other veins get a rest! Chemotherapy is intense on your veins, and any opportunity to let the majority of your veins breathe is a huge plus.
Cons:
1. It's a bit of a nuisance to live with sometimes. You can't play sports, do much heavy lifting, etc. because well, you've got an IV in your arm.
2. Showering with it is odd. First, I have to take saran wrap, put it over the entire region and tape it down with water proof tape. Then, my nurses also recommended I take a plastic bag and cover my forearm and tape that down. This is a necessary precaution because during chemotherapy, one is much more likely to get an infection due to a suppressed immune system. If water were to get into the wrapping area, it would be a great place for bacteria to breed.
So. Day 2:
Here's what the administration of bleomycin looks like. Unlike etoposide and cisplatin, Bleo is given at a rate of 1 cc per minute as an injection through the IV (it doesn't hurt). 10 cc's (my dosage, and my understanding is that it's the standard dose) takes about 10 minutes to administer.
Final Note:
My AFP from 7/2/2011 came back at 2.6!
7/2/2011
(A): 2.6
(H) <2
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