Hit the Wall

My treatment hit the wall today.  Actually, I hit the wall today.  Hit it hard.

It took nearly 45 minutes to get The Poison The Juice flowing today, even though I was the first patient in. Not a good start.

Betty Lou is (name changed to protect...something) learning to start IVs. Great!  Vera (You guessed it.  Not really Vera) was supervising her.  And they decided to use my right hand today, which was not as easy to get to, since the bed had my right side against the wall.  After re-arranging the room, fumbling with all the giz that goes with starting an IV, stating how nervous she was, discussing my beautiful veins, and tripping over part of the machinery (with the needle in her hand aimed right at me...yikes!), Betty Lou stuck that needle right into my vein.  She wiggled it in and wiggled it right out the other side.  When she flushed the line, I grew a lovely bump on my hand.  Uh-oh!

Oh, well.  In an operation this size, there has to be a casualty or two.  Center vein on my right hand is blown!

Betty Lou was reluctant to try again, so Vera moved up to the inside of my arm and bingo!  Hook me up and start cranking that pump, ladies!  That was the second problem.  We read and agreed to my name, date of birth and the dose of medicine.  What I didn't realize is that the nurse needs to read how much fluid is in the bag and program the pump with the correct amount and time to administer. 

Ooops.  I was supposed to get the drip over 90 minutes, my preferred time period.  Vera set the pump to administer an amount of liquid much smaller than what I was receiving over 90 minutes.  Which meant in 90 minutes, the bag still had lots and lots of fluid left in it.  There went the morning.  She reprogrammed it.  She reprogrammed it again. finally got every last drop of The Poison The Juice.

One of the side effects of steroids is being irritable. Ever heard of 'roid rage?

I had to draw heavily on my good upringing to maintain a smile and cheery attitude.   (I could hear my Dear Mother's voice in my head saying, "Mollianne, you can be as mad as you want, but you will stay in this room and act like you are not.  And be sweet!")  I must have done an okay job, had a good poker face or something.  Because Betty Lou and Vera said over and over what a sweet patient I was and how much they appreciated my patience.  Seems that all their patients are not sweet or patient.  (Hmmm....I can't imagine that!)

The rest of the day was great.  We escaped the Center.  We went to the Rocket Office to do weekend Rocket Work.  I have my own special chair in my husband's office and believe that I may be their official mascot.  Any day that I get to spend my every waking moment with the Rocket Man of my dreams is a good day. 

But to be honest, I'm feeling The Poison The Juice and its effects and its not my fave.  But I'm hanging onto just enough rationality to cling to  the fact that the blood work shows this is helping.  We are kicking some major antigen butt here.  That's the point.  And it seems to be working.

So, I'm going back for more in the morning.  I'm praying that I get a good first stick and that the pump can be properly programmed for a 60 minute drip so we can make it to church for Worship.  With God's grace, I believe I can jump that wall I hit today and get to the other side. 

~Mollianne