Hurry Up and Wait!
Posted Jan 31, 2010 8:54pm
Obviously, I survived the Herceptin at the hospital. What a crappy week it was leading up to Thursday. First I find out that the hospital requires you to show up by 8am. This hospital is located right off one of the most rush hour traffic congested freeways near downtown. Be there by 8 or risk being turned away is what I was being told. Then as the week wore on, the weather forcast was for heavy, blinding, downpouring rain to begin early in the morning and last all day long. And at the same time, temperatures were forcast to begin droppin (again! ugh!) and there was talk of possible freezing preciptation and icy roads. Oh I just LOVE to be driving around in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic in those conditions! NOT!! My cancer center is only about 15 - 20 minutes from my house. This hospital is a whole bunch farther than that.
Ok, so I have us up SUPER early in the morning (Early in the Morning by the Gap Band has been playing in my head ever since I told hubby "we gotta get up early in the morning"...lol) Anyway...up very early. It was my plan to be on the road by 6:15. Surely we'd avoid the rush hour traffic, or at least be dang close to the hospital by the time things started backing up.
And I was right. We rolled out by 6:15....only light sprinkles....light traffic. Got to the hospital, signed in. Name called after about 15 minutes. Did a bit of paper work. They did not ask me for any money. THIS totally shocked me, as the other hospital, in the same network, ALWAYS asked, even pushed for it. After paper work, we were led to the 7th floor....an entire floor dedicated to oncology. I was basically admitted to the hospital for the day and given my own private room!
So we get in our room by 8am...8:15 a knock at the door "Room Service"....I'm all like ROOM SERVICE??? Yep, brought me some breakfast. Pancakes with butter & syrup, nice crispy bacon, coffee, juice, milk...And it was actually good too! So I'm thinkin...hmmmmm, maybe this is the way to go eh?
But not really...because there is only one pharmacy to serve the entire hospital. So yeah, in the room by 8, port accessed by 9, and then nuthin. Seems like we waited forEVER to get the Herceptin goin! And it takes at least an hour and a half to get it all in, so.....nothing like hurry up and wait...and wait...and wait!
All the while, we're watchin the weather. Looks like we might actually make it back to our side of town before the heavy stuff gets here, right? Well, sort of. So gettin to mid day and "Room Service" is back again with my lunch. Chicken fried steak with gravy, peas and carrots, mashed potatoes, roll, jello with Cool Whip and iced tea. Yeah, hubby and I scarfed that down too.
So the Herceptin finishes and we're rushin to stay ahead of the weather. We were literally running from it. And right about the time we arrived at the cancer center for me to do my daily zappin, the bottom fell out and it poured. But at that point, we didn't even care, cause we were back in our familiar surroundings, not far from home, and my drama-trauma was behind me!
Yes, I hadn't been sleepin very well since I got told I had to start going to the hospital for my Herceptin. So I slept like the dead Thursday night. And I'm scheduled there again for the next one on Feb 18, BUT, I will be right at the end of radiation by then, so that, plus the one Herceptin, I'm hoping will have met my deductible, and I can just do the casual drive to the cancer center.
Oh yeah, yesterday I showed my friend my new hair growth and she tripped out. And I think I have to agree. I have quite a bit more hair than I had when I took that January 9th bird head pic! Eyelashes and eyebrows are rapidly growin back in too! YAY!! =)
Ok, so that's about it for now. Tomorrow starts another week of daily zappin. I believe I'm just past the halfway point in this part, and approaching the halfway point of active treatment. And thanks for all the comments and prayers and stuff. We enjoy reading them and know the thoughts and prayers are workin.
Can you believe February is here already??
Ok, so I have us up SUPER early in the morning (Early in the Morning by the Gap Band has been playing in my head ever since I told hubby "we gotta get up early in the morning"...lol) Anyway...up very early. It was my plan to be on the road by 6:15. Surely we'd avoid the rush hour traffic, or at least be dang close to the hospital by the time things started backing up.
And I was right. We rolled out by 6:15....only light sprinkles....light traffic. Got to the hospital, signed in. Name called after about 15 minutes. Did a bit of paper work. They did not ask me for any money. THIS totally shocked me, as the other hospital, in the same network, ALWAYS asked, even pushed for it. After paper work, we were led to the 7th floor....an entire floor dedicated to oncology. I was basically admitted to the hospital for the day and given my own private room!
So we get in our room by 8am...8:15 a knock at the door "Room Service"....I'm all like ROOM SERVICE??? Yep, brought me some breakfast. Pancakes with butter & syrup, nice crispy bacon, coffee, juice, milk...And it was actually good too! So I'm thinkin...hmmmmm, maybe this is the way to go eh?
But not really...because there is only one pharmacy to serve the entire hospital. So yeah, in the room by 8, port accessed by 9, and then nuthin. Seems like we waited forEVER to get the Herceptin goin! And it takes at least an hour and a half to get it all in, so.....nothing like hurry up and wait...and wait...and wait!
All the while, we're watchin the weather. Looks like we might actually make it back to our side of town before the heavy stuff gets here, right? Well, sort of. So gettin to mid day and "Room Service" is back again with my lunch. Chicken fried steak with gravy, peas and carrots, mashed potatoes, roll, jello with Cool Whip and iced tea. Yeah, hubby and I scarfed that down too.
So the Herceptin finishes and we're rushin to stay ahead of the weather. We were literally running from it. And right about the time we arrived at the cancer center for me to do my daily zappin, the bottom fell out and it poured. But at that point, we didn't even care, cause we were back in our familiar surroundings, not far from home, and my drama-trauma was behind me!
Yes, I hadn't been sleepin very well since I got told I had to start going to the hospital for my Herceptin. So I slept like the dead Thursday night. And I'm scheduled there again for the next one on Feb 18, BUT, I will be right at the end of radiation by then, so that, plus the one Herceptin, I'm hoping will have met my deductible, and I can just do the casual drive to the cancer center.
Oh yeah, yesterday I showed my friend my new hair growth and she tripped out. And I think I have to agree. I have quite a bit more hair than I had when I took that January 9th bird head pic! Eyelashes and eyebrows are rapidly growin back in too! YAY!! =)
Ok, so that's about it for now. Tomorrow starts another week of daily zappin. I believe I'm just past the halfway point in this part, and approaching the halfway point of active treatment. And thanks for all the comments and prayers and stuff. We enjoy reading them and know the thoughts and prayers are workin.
Can you believe February is here already??
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