This is Joe's folks bedroom set. When we moved to Wyoming we had too much furniture,
Up earlier than have been lately. Got shower and washed hair - cannot shower again until Wednesday when the pump comes off. We got to the Nevada Cancer Center chemo about 9:30. It would be virtually a few minutes from Debbie's house if there weren't stop lights. Waited in the "waiting room", then there was another "waiting room". But boy do they stampede through getting your vitals, the port hooked up and taking blood work. Their hands are flashing so fast they are almost invisible, kind of like a Kung Fu movie except with syringes and alcohol swabs. There are lots and lots of patients go through there, and many trash cans full of needles and IV lines.
Then... can you believe we sat and waited there for a total three hours before I started the treatment. When we asked ahead of time they said I would be there 3 hours, but it was six hours again. Waited some long amount of time for "Allison" (probably a PA), I don't know why because she knew nothing and had most of that wrong. Patience. One of their nurses asked if they weren't lots better here (wink wink) than getting chemo in outback Wyoming. We said we didn't know about that, but we sure waited longer here. And I asked of they'd heard of the Huntsman. Didn't seem to ring a bell.
(And BTW my male nurse from Japan or China never heard of Wyoming, Yellowstone sounded vaguely familiar - next to Montana, Canada, right #?:)) He confidentially told us chemotherapy was big business and he didn't think "they" wanted to find a cure for cancer. When the chemo was finished, although they knew from the beginning I needed the pump, and had to order it, she didn't call for it until I was almost done. Then we waited another 45 minutes for the pump to be delivered from clear across town. I had to sign the invoices for the pump - about $2500 !!!! Yikes !!!! I asked if I was buying it, and they said no, that's just renting it. And then I found out the pump machine costs $10,000 - that is what I'm wearing around my waist. It's about twice as heavy as the one I had from Jackson. No wonder Judy always says, "be sure to bring the pump back", "be sure to bring the pump back.
I missed my home team - and no nice free lunch or drinks or snacks here - no gentle sticking with sympathetic warnings or soft hands, pampering or soothing comments - and no warmed blanket. It was air conditioned to about 60 degrees in that place. I guess I'm spoiled! Lucky I had a couple of granola bars and a cup of water. And I covered my legs with my purse for warmth. But they do have a large TV suspended over every chemo chair, with your own clicker and speakers. However those were not working, because the antenna blew down in the last windstorm.
We go back on Wednesday at 11:15 and see Dr. Wu again, get the pump taken off and the Avastin infused so if today was any indication, may be there a while again. This is the one that shrinks the blood supply to the tumors, and they gave it to me with all the others in Jackson - not after the pump is taken off.
Just something I've observed here is that most of the health care people are not "white people", but other nationalities. That is not a criticism so don't get indignant. The chemo room doctor was some kind of middle eastern person. He told me to stay out of the sun from 8 to 6 and, I couldn't help myself, I said "You mean tonight"? Bad, huh? I think Debbie was saying "MA-OMMMmm! He didn't know where Wyoming was either. He thought it was the other W - Wisconsin - where he heard there was flooding. As in - he was telling me that Wyoming was flooding terribly. We kept shaking our heads no, until he got it.
We made an appointment to have the next chemo treatment taken here. But do not know that I will still be here. Instead of two weeks from Monday, it is scheduled for Wednesday the 25th, because that is the only day Dr. Wu is in this facility, (they have four and he is usually across town) and then the pump would be on until the 27th. (And remember this one should have been last Friday, from which two weeks would have been the 20th. So that was pushing the time away from home to being too long.) If they had set it for Monday the 23rd I might stay. I had planned to stay no later than about the 19th, + or -. So we will probably cancel it and go home and have the next one in Jackson. Just waiting to see how Beverly's surgery goes, and when/if she can come back to WY with Debbie and I, etc. Unknowns. Not to worry now, it will all work out fine.
Wednesday will be a busy day (Debbie doing lots of driving) with chemo, Bev's surgery and Debbie goes for tests which are before/related to her surgery in July. After chemo I'll go to the hospital to be there when Bev wakes up from surgery. She stays overnight in the hospital and when she goes home on Thursday, I'll go to her house and hope I can help them until she feels like getting around.
At almost 3 p.m. we went to lunch at Tia Maria Tamales, and had a taco, and brought home tamales and refried beans for dinner. Beverly, Brent and Clay might come over to have dinner with us. Or they may go to the Emma Smith movie. (Yes they did go to the movie.) I was invited and don't turn down many movies but think I'll stay home this time. (Yes I stayed home).
While we were Tia Maria's Debbie got the expected call and we had to hurry home to let the rental place workers in to pick up the party tables. Tayler went to work today, and now has gone off for her first summer class in Math. I asked what she wanted for graduation and thought I'd get by with a set of luggage, but someone else got that for her and we settled on a Coach purse. !! Guess its a Granny thing so it's o.k.
It's early but I'm feeling pretty good, a little bit of nausea and woozy in the head, runny nose, plus gassssssss. Eyes only slightly uncomfortable so far. They are laughing at me trying to talk coherently, like I'm on a cheap drunk. It's the chemobrain. NOT SO FUNNY! NOT NICE TO GET MADE FUN OF AND LAUGHED AT! And BTW, when I dried my hair this morning I looked just like Andy Worhol! It is still falling out. I might get a crew cut or a spike for the fun of it. Then if it really falls out will shave it.
Called Joe, he's fine, it's snowed there yesterday morning and supposed to snow again tonight. And then called my sister Gloria. She got home from her weekend here fine and had a good flight. She left early this morning. So we had lots to discuss because we hadn't seen each other since Saturday.
