2/17/09

It's nice to know hospitals are trying to be careful, but it sometimes leads to long days waiting around. Like if they ever need to give KD blood, they check his blood type first. Even if they gave him blood the day before and know what type he is. It's how they roll, I guess :-)

So today he had his IV drip of Vincristine. And the L-Asparaginase shot was to follow. Since it can cause an allergic reaction, they first do a test, which means they draw a circle on his arm with a magic marker and inject a tiny bit under his skin. After ten minutes, if he's failed to blow up like a balloon or sprout a rash all over his body, the are sure he's good for the whole dose.

Last time he was fine, but today the area inside the circle got a little puffy. Not enough to cause alarm obviously since they went ahead with the shot.

It took the better part of the day for these two things to happen. They always take his vitals and then draw blood for labs. Then they order the chemo treatments from the pharmacy since they are prepared only after the staff has physically seen that he's ready and waiting. Lots of waiting around. And then afterwards he had a good long nap and a big (healthy) dinner. It's amazing that that's a full day in the life of a cancer patient. 

Oh, and the great car debate has been put to rest. He's now allowed to drive short distances as long as he isn't taking meds that tell him not to, and also as long as his labs (blood results) confirm that he's healthy and functional. Which is really begging the question since they guy hasn't got many places to actually go. But neener neener, yes he is allowed to drive. 

He's got Wednesday and Thursday to recover and build up strength, then Friday he goes in for another shot of L-Asparaginase. This is the one that stops the cancer cells from being able to absorb the enzyme they need to grow. Which means a lot of cells will die off, causing his body to get sluggish while it cleans the dead cells out of the system. Kind of like what happens when you're taking a shower and someone flushes the toilet. Everything goes wonky for a few minutes because the water pressure is being diverted to something else.

If you want to call or stop by to see KD over the next few day, please do. I will also attempt to get books, DVDs, and other gear back to rightful owners soon before it gets absorbed into the general clutter of his room. Thanks everyone for all the support and help!