Day 4 of Chemotherapy

The nurse gave him his last dose of Cyclophosphamide at 12:30 this morning. He had to be hydrated for 12 hours after that dose. His mouth and throat have been sore, so he hasn't been eating much at all. Once we told him we could leave after he drank and ate enough, he did just that. The nurses said we could look at being discharged around noon. Will came over at 11:30 to make sure we were both there to hear any special instructions. We didn't leave the hospital until 4:45.

Greg was so excited to leave the hospital, but then was hysterical about the shot of Nuelasta at the doctor's office just a hop, skip, and a jump away. After all that he has been through with getting IVs, it's too bad they had to give him a shot under the skin and couldn't just inject it into his PICC line. We are grateful, however, that we don't have to give him the G-CSF medication, which is a daily shot; this Nuelasta has the same effects, but is a one time deal. Phew.

Upon arriving home, I felt like we had just brought a new baby home from the hospital - the other kids were craving attention and were bouncing off the walls because everyone is so excited to see each other, they have been bounced around among sitters, and they haven't been doing the normal routine for a few days. Great. Things will get back to normal soon... hopefully.

So... no fresh flowers, no immunizations for him or the other kids (unless approved), no being near friends with live viruses, no chicken pox, no playing with sick kids, no crowds, no leftovers. We have to take his temperature two times a day with the same thermometer - for consistency. If his temperature is 100.5 we are to call the doc immediately. He is to use his own bathroom. Brush his teeth with a soft brush. Grazing all day is better than three solid meals, proteins are a plus. Also watch for: sustained nausea, severe pain, lethargy, pallor, bruising, bleeding, and petechiae (look like small red freckles). We are to flush his PICC line every 12 hours, change the dressing on his PICC line once a week, Give him pills of Prednisone twice a day for a few days, then taper off, Zantac two times a day, but only when he's taking the pills, Nystatin and Preidex four times a day, Bactrim two times a day, but only on the weekends, Zofran if he has nausea or is vomiting (he has yet to experience this lovely side-effect... a tender mercy of the Lord), and last but not least, Morphine (not Tylenol) for pain.

Wow. I was way overwhelmed. All of this was just for Greg - my kid on self-pilot. I have three other kids and a husband needing me... and dishes that needed to be done. If it wasn't for Will's take-charge attitude about this, I would have sat in a corner and cried.

I'm not sure any of us fully understand that we'll be back at the hospital in a few weeks for round two. So far, we are taking it a day (and more often than not, an hour) at a time.