Treatment Day 1

We are all checked in and calling Roswell Park our home for the next 5 days. I don't really know how I will distinguish between the days. Chris will receive treatment every 8 hours, so in reality, the days lump into one very long week. I will consider this Day 1 because to all of you at home, the day is coming to an end. Dinner is ending, dishes are being washed, baths are being drawn, the first day of summer is officially over. Our day has been slow going. We arrived at Roswell bright and early this morning. Chris registered, had an EKG, and then was sent to radiology to have a central line inserted in his chest. He returned to his room, which we tried to make as home-like as possible. We then waited for the dreaded first dose of medication to arrive. At precisely 2pm the toxic bag of fluid entered our room. It took 15 minutes to administer and during that time Chris felt great. He found a new app for the iPad, some golf game that he, my brother, and my dad have quickly become addicted to. About an hour and a half after the drug was given, the side effects slowly began. First, he had some chills from the inside out. Very slight and they only lasted about 20 minutes. He then became quite flushed. And now 5 hours later, he feels like he has the flu. A bit nauseous and warm all over. His blood pressure dropped slightly, but it is now back in normal limits. I'm going to force him to walk a few laps of the floor in a little bit (he isn't too happy about that right now), but that's my job! In three hours, he will get another dreaded dose and I know we will have a long night ahead of us. They certainly don't let you rest much in the hospital. Luckily for me, many friends have armed me with books and magazines to help pass the time. That's it for now! Keep coming back to visit...I've got the itch to write and plenty of time to do it! xo, Teresa