Round 2

Superman was all smiles as we arrived at the Cancer Center last Wednesday to begin his second chemotherapy treatment.  The whole process consists of several steps:  

1. Pick out the chair you want to occupy for the day.  We always chose one near the large windows, because there is a nice view of flowers and a statue outside, plus plenty of natural light.  It makes the day a little less depressing.
2. Have blood drawn by nurse, who takes it to the lab and quickly gives results.  
3. Get the dressing changed on the PICC line.
4. Meet with the Doctor or Nurse Practitioner in a different room to discuss symptoms, concerns, questions, etc.
5. Return to chemo room to begin the R-CHOP regimen, which consists of Rituxan, Cyclophosphamide, Hydroxydaunomycin (Adriamycin), and Oncovin.  The "P" stands for Prednisone, which is taken orally for 5 days following a chemo treatment.

The whole process takes 8-10 hours, depending on how quickly the drugs can be administered.  Ryan didn't have an allergic reaction this time, so we were able to leave by 5:00 pm.

Ryan spends much of the time asleep because the drugs make him tired.  His legs hurt for the first few hours the drugs are administered (something to do with POISON coursing through his veins).  He gets very cold at the same time so I bundle him up in heated blankets.  Later on, he gets light-headed and starts sweating because the last couple drugs make him feel hot.  It's like dealing with a menopausal woman!

Although this picture looks like a blood draw, it's actually the medication frequently referred to as "The Red Devil" because it's nasty stuff.  It causes the most nausea, hair loss, intestinal issues, and can blow up veins if not administered through a PICC line.

Ryan's chemo treatment is the longest one given for any cancer.  Throughout the day, many patients come and go, and all these seats are filled.  Ryan is always the last to leave, after his body is swimming in cancer-killing medications.

While Ryan is sleeping, I usually do homework to pass the time.  Sometimes I talk to the other patients, but hearing their stories often makes me more anxious.  I managed to finish a school project and write an essay this past week.  While working on my laptop, Facebook notified me that I was tagged in some pictures.  Ryan's work had secretly bought Superman shirts for all the employees to wear on Ryan's chemotherapy days!  I was overcome with emotion as I started seeing all the love people have for Ryan.  If you look very closely, you can see Brevan's tiny head in the back row of this picture, because he is now working as an intern for NMR.

More support for Superman!  Our nephew, Jonathon (Erin's son), and nieces Aubrey (Tiffany's daughter) and Alexa (Scott's daughter) donned their shirts on chemo day, plus the awesome Napier clan accessorized with superhero gear.

Dan Porter even got his early-morning seminary class in the cancer-fighting spirit!  He was busting out of that white shirt and tie.

The yucky symptoms started earlier this time.  By about midnight on Wednesday, Ryan was already feeling dizzy and nauseated, plus his tongue was swollen and every hair follicle on his body felt like a mini-knife.  Most of the hair on his body has fallen off in the past couple weeks, so he went ahead and shaved the rest yesterday.  He looks like a true cancer patient now!  His facial hair is mostly gone, and even his eyebrows are very thin.  I'm trying hard to keep him away from germs, because the doctor said a temperature of 99.5 will result in a visit to the office, and if the temp gets over 100, he is automatically admitted to the hospital.  Ryan has pretty much watched sports on TV all weekend when he isn't napping.  He has enjoyed extra snuggles with his puppy, who can tell he doesn't feel well.  He did manage to attend most of Brynlie's dance recital on Saturday night, some of Sacrament meeting on Sunday morning, and the boy's piano recital Sunday afternoon.  He's a trooper!