My chemotherapy journey (6 cycles of O-CHOP) began in earnest at 6.30pm on the evening of 25th November 2019 when I received a call from the hospital to go in to prepare for treatment the following day. It may seem strange, but I had actually been looking forward to spending a night or two in hospital as it was going to be a new experience. Although we had been expecting the call, it came as we were watching the final 10 minutes of the final episode of the final series of ‘Engrenages’, one of the best TV crime thrillers ever. In a further application of the law of sod, my wife’s car wouldn’t start so we had to phone a friend to be taxi.
When we eventually arrived at the hospital we were welcomed on to the haematology ward by some of the team who would be looking after me. They were very friendly and made me feel really at ease after the stressful start to the whole experience. I had a room of my own which I wasn’t expecting including a TV, separate toilet and shower, and a small fridge. Full marks for the accommodation. At this point I was feeling tired, a little dazed and conscious that a big adventure was about to begin. This adventure would include side trips, unexpected diversions and plenty of new experiences.
Preparing for hospital:
For a couple of nights in hospital you will need an overnight bag. In it I would recommend packing pyjamas, slippers, a dressing gown, a change of underwear and a couple of t-shirts. Also include toiletries-razor, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant and shower gel. Pack a book as you will have plenty of time when nothing much is happening. Hospital wi-if was good so I was glad I had my iPad and phone and obviously don’t forget a charger.
A handy hint is to keep the overnight bag on standby ready to go throughout the treatment process. As things turned out, during the journey there were side trips that needed to be taken at short notice and having everything I needed ready to go saved time and reduced stress.
The rooms on the haematology ward were pressure controlled. I’m not really sure what this means but the result was that they were very warm. Although there were electric fans to bring the temperature down, when one of your main symptoms is profuse sweating, having a couple of spare t-shirts to hand was very welcome.
Cannulas:
O-CHOP is administered to the body through a vein and for this to happen a cannula is inserted into the back of the hand. You get very used to the insertion and removal of cannulas during treatment-there are alternative methods of delivery for people who don’t like needles but I think this is the most straightforward one.
I’ve never been squeamish, but by the end of treatment I was fed up with needles and cannulas being pushed into me and so were my veins. My technique when being injected was to look away, grab a fistful of pillow or clothing and slowly count to 10. Once the cannula was in, it wasn’t painful or particularly uncomfortable. A good piece of advice is to alternate between left and right hands for each treatment cycle. I favoured my left hand for 4 out of the 6 cycles for the simple reason that being a right handed man, going to the toilet was easier, but by cycle 6 the vein in my left hand and arm was protesting and the chemotherapy nurse advised it was no longer useable.
