High but apparently not TOO High

Friday - June 15, 2012

We are getting the hang of the Dalton Clinic dance and routine.  Perhaps the key factor is an early arrival, quick call to register, and then a dogleg right for labwork.  Ah, but here's a decision point:  blood draw from the arm or the port.  Well, obviously accessing my port is much more involved, requires masking up, serious kits of sterile packaging, and perhaps reclining with arm up to get enough flow.  I need to survey the waiting room and assess the possibilities ... and the decision is often an arm draw EVEN if my port will need to be accessed later in the morning for chemo.  The wait is shorter, the blood speeds right to the lab, and I am one step closer to seeing the physician and finding out if I need any blood replenishment.  Today was good news all around!  Arm draw was TOTALLY the right call (BOO-yah!), my blood work came back strong (yay platelets!  yay hemoglobin!), and the 5 minute vincristine infusion was truly only 5 minutes (after the 70 minute wait for the pharmacy to fulfill the scrip).  We were in and out in 3 hours - a new record!  Joseph and I kept busy with our iPads and New Yorkers so time really does pass.

I researched the history and legacy of John Dalton today. 

One focus of today was to query about my heart rate which has been consistently high during this "odd" Hyper CVAD cycle.  On Monday, Dalton supplemented my fluids and my rate came down.  Today's vitals showed a 135 pulse (strong bp and oxygen) which might just be my highest yet.  I am getting winded with activity and - in this situation - the activity was simply walking from Dalton's waiting room back for my initial assessment.  I surprise myself when considering what is now "activity."  Karen, the oncology nurse who had spoken to me on the telephone earlier in the week, checked on me and talked "all things pulse" and then we consulted with Kevin as well.  Neither seems overly concerned IF I can manage my heart rate by resting and tempering my exertions / activities.  So, I'm high but not too high.  AND if this side effect is my pattern and I have successfully escaped nausea and vomiting then I say "Glory Be, I'm sitting back down on the couch.  Please pass my iPad so I can do WordFlick and the NYT crosswords."  Can a Type A ratchet it down?  I believe the answer might be ... yes!