Blood counts refuse to fall - Catheter placed

After two and a half days of CDEP (cyclophosphamide, dexamethasone, etoposide, cisplatin) chemotherapy my blood results show no real changes. So my body is resisting the attack of these powerful drugs. My oncologist came through this morning at about six-thirty. He assured me they would take effect soon enough.

I remain aggravated that my oncologist told me I would be in this hospital four days. First he forgot to arrange my admission. I had to get his partner on call late Sunday night to make a call to the hospital. And I arrived ontime as requested. What he neglected to explain is that the drug therapy requires ninety-six continuous hours.

That makes it IMPOSSIBLE to leave the hospital in four days. As it now stands, I will get disconnected from the fourth twenty-four chemo-cocktail at about ten o’clock in the evening FRIDAY. He said that once the fatigue that will be caused by the therapy has taken effect, I will be evaluated and my ability and the timing of my discharge will be determined. So MAYBE Saturday or Sunday I can go home.

On Tuesday, I got my central venous catheter. It will be used during the harvest and transplant for high volume flows. The tube goes into my chest just below my collar bone. As it comes out, it is bent over and runs under my skin a bit. Then the tail hangs down my side just in front of my right arm. It has two lumens or tails – one red and one blue. They had to do the placement of the catheter now before my platelet count falls -- an expected consequence of the CDEP. Those are the parts of the blood that clot. So they had to do the surgery while I could stop bleeding after the procedure.

A quick review of a mix up in the operating room:
I was taken to the operating room an hour early. They had an open room. My surgeon and the supply clerk were discussing the selection of catheters available. The size specified by my oncologist at HUMC was not there. My surgeon called to HUMC and asked if a smaller one could be used. The response was; delay the remainder of the chemo if necessary to forestall the drop in platelet count – even a month if needed – use the right one or do nothing. My surgeon came to tell me this and I told him that I would be really struggling to make a change of a month in my schedule.

I have already interrupted my work and set a lot of wheels in motion to support my absence now and stretch as long as four months. My mother-in-law is coming to stay with us starting on the twenty-first of January. My mother has plane tickets to stay with me for the month of in/outpatient care at HUMC starting on the fourth of March. Her main working time culminates on the fifteenth of April on tax day. A delay would throw a monkey wrench in a lot of plans. The surgeon said that since I was apparently overhearing part of the conversation, he wanted me to have a clear picture of what information he had so far.

After a few more trips to the supply room, the supply clerk was able to find the correct device and the surgery went ahead full speed.

There was some stiffness and I took pain pills Tuesday night. But my Wednesday morning, I was not in pain just stiff. And today, Thursday, I have just itchiness around the tape they used to hold the bandages. My nurse said she will come and change the dressing today and I hope to get a look at this thing sticking out of my chest.