The chemo lounge

I arrived at the onocology office at 3:00 PM to begin my chemotherapy treatment. I had been told previously that I would be given an infusion bag of 5-FU and portable pump in a tote about the size of a fanny pack. The chemo would be administered in small doses 24/7 and I would need to come back each week to exchange the bag for a new one. It would just take a few minutes to hook up and then I would be on my way. Not long after I arrived the nurse came and escorted me to a large room with several recliners filled with patients receiving chemo. I was caught off guard and I don’t know why, perhaps it was because all of my previous appointments had taken place in private exams rooms, but I didn’t expect to be in “group therapy”. For those of you who don’t know me I’m not exactly what you would call a people person, which is why I’m in research instead of sales like my father, grandfather, great-grandfather…you get the picture.

As I walked into the room and sat down I began to feel my anxiety level rise. Some patients were there alone or with a care giver and others were surrounded by several family members complete with cell phones, portable video games and any other noise maker you could think imagine. One young man being treated was accompanied by his wife and baby who were seated next to me. Her baby tried to make it very clear that he didn’t want to be there either. The only sound worse than your own kid screaming & yelling is someone else’s kid screaming & yelling. Every sound in the room was becoming amplified and pretty soon I was feeling like Juno at the clinic, i.e. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Finally the nurse came back with the pack and supplies. She asked if I had ever had my port accessed to which I replied no. She said that most first timers usually want the site numbed with refrigerant spray. I nodded my head and said “let’s do it”. One nurse sprayed my chest around the port, which began to sting as it cooled. The other nurse prepared the Huber needle and IV line. Now needles usually don’t bother me and this was only a 20 ga. needle, but it felt like a straw as she pushed it hard into the port. I felt like an Army jump school grad getting his blood wings.

She started the pump, showed me the operation and how to change the battery just in case it died before my appointment next week. She also crimped the IV line on purpose so I could hear what the alarm sounded like. It took a few minutes for it to alarm as the dose is pretty small, only 1 ml/hr.  After signing enough paperwork to complete a car loan I was free to go.