Day 18 - What Can Go Wrong...

August 5

My mom returned from Thunder Bay yesterday so I have help and company. Today also would have been my Nana's 107th birthday. Happy birthday, Nana!

Over the weekend I noticed that my left arm (arm with the new PICC line), felt bruised and that feeling was traveling. By the time this morning came around, that extended into my armpit. My range of motion was also less than before the PICC.

On the way to radiation, there was heavy rain. Wow. I arrived uneventfully and, thankfully, had an umbrella in the car. Zip. Zap. Done. Radiation was over. On the way home, in a bloody monsoon, I finally received a call from scheduling about resuming chemo. I am to be there at 7:15 tomorrow morning so it can be done before my daily radiation appointment. Ok. All set.

When I got home I called the cancer clinic's triage line because of the symptoms in my arm. I already had a virtual appointment booked with Sarah, a member of my chemo team, for 2:30 today. To err on the side of caution, we switched it from virtual to an in-person visit. That meant a drive downtown (different location from radiation). I left home at 1:30pm just to be safe...rain, traffic, etc.

I arrived for my appointment and, after seeing that I was concerned about the symptoms, Sarah tried to get me an ultrasound in-house. She couldn't but the hospital in Edina (about halfway on the way back home) could squeeze me in at 4pm. The current time was 3:20pm. In heavy rain and lots of traffic, I hauled ass to the next location.

Ha! Made it in time. Off to radiology for the ultrasound. Cute ultrasound tech! Oh my. She started checking things out and guess what she found. The vein that has the PICC in it is clotted from my upper arm down into the forearm just below my elbow. I am not crazy and know my body! I don't like what this means but, at the same time, felt hugely validated.

The ultrasound tech made some calls while I waited. My phone rang. It was my main chemo doc. He suggested some options. When he was done, I said, "You missed another and my favorite option. Get this thing out of me and we are done with chemo!" He agreed that that is an option and supported my decision. He recommended starting a blood thinner and then removing the PICC later this week.

As a quick aside, chemo is not the issue. It is the delivery systems that my body simply cannot hack.

While sitting in the parking ramp (well, in my car in the parking ramp lol) at the hospital, I called my pharmacy before leaving, asking that they rush the Rx so I could start on it tonight. They informed me they don't have what he prescribed. They suggested I call a different pharmacy that usually has everything and then they'd transfer the Rx. I made the call. Yes, this other pharmacy had what I needed. More driving. The time? 5:15pm.

I arrived at the pharmacy at 5:50pm. They said it would be "a while" for the fax to come through and suggested an hour and a half to fill the Rx. There was no way I was driving home only to drive back so I parked myself in the waiting area. I bugged them every 15 minutes. LOL

By the time I got the Rx and got home it was close to 7. I opened the Rx and found it should be started in the morning. FOR FUCK'S SAKE. Whatever.

Mom and I ate and then I watched a violent horror movie (call it a form of catharsis...vicarious expression of what I'd like to do to the day I've had). 9pm. Bedtime.