Yesterday morning we met with the team of doctors at 7:30 am - standard procedure. Mark had the central line catheter placed, and we learned the proper name, “Internal Jugular Central Line”--that sounds more ominous, don't you think? 😉 I like it!
Each time IVs were given through this line, the machine would beep, indicating that the flow had been disrupted. Finally, the nurse concluded that there was a kink at the site, which had to be repaired. It took several hours to sort out, so his first infusion wasn’t until after 4 pm. He never got chills and felt quite normal for most of the evening. That comes with another set of worries. If nothing happens, his immune system is not reacting, which means it is less likely to recognize the cancerous cells. Finally, around 8 pm, nausea kicked in. During the night, several different meds were used (Zofran, Ativan, & Compazine) to control nausea. Nothing seemed to help. When the doctors came in, he was miserable with nausea, dizziness, body aches, fever, and he was quite agitated. Even though his vitals were fine for another infusion, the doctors would not give one with him feeling so awful. After more Zofran and a Bolus were given, he calmed down and finally slept peacefully. (A Bolus is a bag of IV water to help control blood pressure.)
He perked up enough in the early afternoon that the doctors were willing to administer another infusion if Mark thought he could handle it. Of course, this is why we are here, so he was in agreement. At 3 pm, it was given. Typically, if he has chills, it doesn't happen until an hour or more after the infusion. I decided to take a walk while he was napping. Unfortunately, I went into what I thought was an inner courtyard. It was not, therefore, the door locked behind me, and it took me at least 15 minutes of walking around the building to find an open entrance. When I got back to the room, he was covered with blankets. The nurse had been there when the chills started, so she got warm blankets right away, but they weren't enough this time. The rigors were worse than any he has ever had, and it took several doses of Demerol to get it under control.
His blood pressure started dropping and got to 85. If he goes below that, he will need Phenylephrine, which requires that he wear the blood pressure cuff that checks his BP every 15 minutes. He really does not like it because he wakes up every time it tightens on his arm, so he gets no sleep. Another Bolus was given that raised his blood pressure enough that he hasn't needed the "Neo." ("Neo" is short for "Phenylephrine.) We hope he can get through the night without it.
He continues to have nausea most of the time. He tries to be a good sport and stay positive, but he is quite miserable and feels trapped when nothing seems to help. We believe in the power of prayer. When the medications are not helping, I whisper a prayer in his ear, which seems to calm him down. How thankful we are for ministering angels that come to his aid. These nurses are angels, as well. They are so kind and caring. We appreciate the prayers and positive thoughts that are sent his way. We know it helps. Thank-you!
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