Chemo update week one

Hello everyone!

Well last week's chemo was the worst outpatient one yet. Worst in the sense of that it was busy with lots of side effects. On monday 16 november I arrived at the chemo clinic bright and early, as I had a lot to accomplish that day. After meeting the (literally) blood-sucking phlebotomists at 7:30, I was quickly whisked into the chemo clinic and they started hydrating me for the chemo. Before they could start however, I met with Trish the Nurse Practitioner, who looked me over and then ordered the chemo for me. Meanwhile, I was carted upstairs for my intrathecal, or lumbar puncture with chemo. For those unaccustomed, this means they numb up my back really well with lydocaine, then find the proper place in my spinal cord with a floroscope (fancy x-ray machine). They then puncture my spinal column with a large needle in the appropriate place, suck out some of my spinal fluid and inject chemotherapy. This time, it was a bright green substance known as methotrexate. After returning downstairs to the chemo clinic, where Iwas hooked up to a bag of what seriously looked like bright green antifreeze. This was more methotrexate. About 1 p.m. I was ready to go.
That night and the next day I had to take methotrexate pills 19 at a time at a very specific time of day (10:30, 1:30, 4:30am etc). The next day they started me on Leukovorin IV and ultimately Leukovorin pills (more 4:30 wakeup calls for drugs. Yay..) Also, I started another drug to be taken daily through OCtober. This chemo, Mercaptopurine, is more chemo and has the added benefit of making me quite tired and nauseous. FUN.
I had last wednsday off and was scheduled for a short blood test last thursday to investigate how much Methotrexate was left in my system. Unfortunately, that blood test showed my levels weren't low enough (they were at .10 K/ul and needed to be .05 k/ul. Apparently that test wasn't available in broome county (I found out later it was available, just not on the same day it would have been drawn. So I was stuck for an extra day in buffalo, which had me quite surly, as I was ready to scram thursday morning.
Good news is my levels were fine Friday morning and Trish the NP sent me home. It's been nice being home. Star is quite pleased to have some all-day-long company. There's been quite a lot of political chatter going on at all ready, and I helped dad deal with that.
Otherwise not much new. Had a blood test at Dr. Khan's today (tuesday 24 october) and all my levels were quite good...no blood required. I wonder when they will start to drop. Hopefully never! He hee.

OH other big news. Supposedly today my bone marrow donor is scheduled to have his or her blood taken and shipped to roswell by tomorrow for some genetic testing. If the tests confirm her genes, I'll have a donor. Yay! Though this may mess up our thanksgiving plans, it would be really great to start the BMT process before 2006 ends.

-Matt