LYMPHOMA CHEMO Treatment & Photos

Here is a compilation of messages sent during my chemo which I much preferred to the “living-death” cancer:

MESSAGE TO DR. ROMANO: re: Chemo

Here are some of the things I will not miss when I recover from chemo:

Not knowing if I feel better eating or puking

Wearing out my body just by the intestines being so busy

Avoiding medium hot food because it’ll burn my mouth

Feeling puny and pukey

Not knowing if I can pass gas or if it’s going to be something else

Having the entire body cramp up because of constipation

Not getting to the bathroom in time

Numbness in my fingertips

Needing to eat a bunch of Tums

Esophageal spasm

Sitting for hours upon hours while they put poison in me

Limiting my driving because of concern of falling asleep at the wheel

Limiting my travel because of concern of difficulty or problems with personal hygiene

Having little latitude between constipation and diarrhea

Staying on target with taking the poop juice

That feeling of “Gosh, I thought I could hold it”

The shock that can go up the urethrae when I pee

The return of itch where the yellow jackets stung me last month

My digestive system waking me from a sleep and not knowing if I was hungry or not

Bouts of flowing, not just runny, nose

Nausea

Trying to decide if, how much and when to take docusate sodium [stool softener], bismuth subsalicylate [stomach relief] and/or simethicone [gas relief] with each other

PHOTOS

Here is one of the fun things I took with me to each of the six HEAVY INFUSION treatments:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2023-12-06-IMG_7460.jpg — This it the medi-port they put in on the right side of my chest. I chose that side in consideration of the seatbelt in the car.

This is the chest the day of one hour operation to place the medi-port

This is what it looked like after the incision healed.

This is the minimal scar from having the mini-port after removal. — This is the minimal scar after removal of the medi-port.

THE USE OF THE MEDI-PORT

This is "bandage" that was placed over the medi-port and the needle inserted into the medi-port. — This is the needle being inserted into the medi-port.

All hooked up to the roll around tree for the 4 - 6 hour infusion.

All hooked up to the tree for the 4 – 6 hour infusion.

Some medicines were added in line to the drip line. Some medicines required the nurse to wear protective clothing. All medicines had another nurse confirm the medicine was the one called for and included check on quantity.

And in a few weeks time there was the hair loss.

And after 18 weeks [6 heavy infusions every three weeks] was the ringing of the bell. As I later learned, not everyone gets the success I received in going into remission.