They then take an xray to make sure the line is where it's supposed to be. Fine with me. The line goes in your arm around your bicep and is threaded to the large vein just above your heart. The nurse who did the procedure was great. Smooth & calm. I hope I have her for the next two procedures (as i had the picc line removed after i finished chemo and will need to have the procedure for the last 2 rounds).
Once upstairs, did the dance. Weight checked, blood pressure, temperature etc... CBC (complete blood count - red & white blood cell and platelet count) was good. Dr. Wall popped in while I was having my blood taken, I asked him about my CEA level (Carcinoembryonic antigen: CEA measurement is used as a tumor marker to identify recurrences after surgical resection) from the blood work I had last Thursday - cea was .8, looking good!
Ok, cocktail time. Though it wasn't a party getting getting the picc line inserted, I have to say it made the IV infusion of my cocktail go so much smoother. All the nurse had to do was inject the Decadron & Aloxi via the hanging port of the picc line. No searching for a juicy vein to stick me. After those drugs were pumped in, hang a big ol' bag of Ox, plug into the picc and on with the main event.
Now I might not look like a happy camper in this picture (really who would be) but this round of infusion was a hundred x better than the last one. My arms felt fine, no burning feeling in my veins, no funky feeling in my chest, no nausea. Just a weird body buzz - understandable considering the chemical nature of oxaliplatin. Got outa of the chemo room around 4ish, home by four-thirty, and was actually pretty hungry. Good sign! Was able to eat a bit, take 1000mg of Xeloda and climb into bed w/ the dogs.
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