We arrived at HCI at 8:30AM and got dad checked in. From there he saw his nurse who "activated" his port. This process only takes about 5 minutes once taken back and from there we went up to get some breakfast. Dad got some giant pancakes (thanks Grammy and Grandad) and we got to hang out and chat til about 9:30AM. After breakfast we went down to start infusion. A nurse took us to Dad's "Pod" and took his vitals. His blood pressure was a little high which is normal considering you can be a little nervous. From there another nurse came and got Dad started on his "Hydration" phase. During this phase he got a little sleepy and took a 10 minute power nap.
After the hydration phase Dad was given two bags of anti nausea medication. After each bag is done administering the machine beeps and the nurse comes back to start a new one. He scans both Dad's wristband and the bag of medication and the process starts over again. After all of those bags had been administered they started him on his chemo. The nurse informed us that this last one would take about 2 hours and that he should be done at about 2:30PM. At this point we decided that it would be a great time to turn on Mrs. Doubtfire which is a family favorite. After about an hour of technical difficulties we finally got it going. Multiple nurses stop by to check on Dad to see how he is doing and to see what movie we're watching. They also have snack carts that come by in case you get hungry.
At 2:30PM Dad's machine beeped letting us know that his infusion was complete. He also receives chemo for the next 48 hours through his "chemo ball" so the nurse came and hooked him up to that before telling us goodbye.
You never really realize what somebody with cancer has to go through until you actually see the process of everything. I'm glad I got the opportunity to get a tiny glimpse of what my dad is going through. I hope I will never have to know exactly how he feels. Cancer has been a constant trial for our family for a few years now, but Dieter F Uchtdorf gives a good example of how trials can actually be a blessing if we slow down and remember what matters the most. Times like these may not be very enjoyable, especially for those bearing the burden of cancer, but they sure make you realize the importance of family and how very fragile life can be. That's what I'm grateful for. So thanks for screwing my head back on, Cancer.
Have you ever been in an airplane and
experienced turbulence? The most common cause of turbulence is a sudden
change in air movement causing the aircraft to pitch, yaw, and roll.
While planes are built to withstand far greater turbulence than anything
you would encounter on a regular flight, it still may be disconcerting
to passengers.
What do you suppose
pilots do when they encounter turbulence? A student pilot may think that
increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through
the turbulence faster. But that may be the wrong thing to do.
Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence
penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence.
And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same
principle applies also to speed bumps on a road.
Therefore,
it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus
on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions.
-Dieter F Uchtdorf
We love you dad! Keep kicking cancer's butt!
Dad's Pod
Dad's IV Tower
Dad's Wristband
