Monday - June 4, 2012
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| Empty chairs! Dalton in the late afternoon. |
Somehow, I thought today was going to be a relatively quick "in and out" at the Dalton Clinic for labs and Rituxan. I was wrong. Carolyn, Megan, and I were at VCU for 6.5 hours. And looking back on it, I can't really believe that I didn't realize that these clinic visits, by their very nature, will be full day affairs. The pharmacy does not fulfill orders until the patients are present and their labs have been vetted by a physician. Chemo preparation does not begin until perhaps the end of hour one. Not that waiting around was bad at all! The three of us kept each other amused with WordFlick (of course), NYTimes crosswords, talking, and Carolyn's incredible donation of 50 year old magazines to the clinic's rotating collection. We were all vastly entertained as the day wore on and we saw the magazines being enjoyed in various rooms.
Medical news from today: my white blood cells and platelets have rebounded significantly, I received intrathecal chemo via my third lumbar puncture, and then had a 2 hour infusion of Rituxan. Rituxan is the drug that has revolutionized lymphoma treatment in the last decade, greatly improving survival rates. Until recently, it was only available in clinical trials. SO, if I need to spend a day in the clinic waiting to get Rituxan, I shall gladly and gratefully wait with iPad and New Yorkers in hand!
1 comment:
My mom always got early morning appointments so that her entire day wasn't shot. We also brought videos with us because we knew her infusions would take at least 6 hours.
Puzzles, playing cards and books are great time passers. Have you ever tried a Samurai Sudoku?
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