My chemo cycle

This not a torture scene from a horror movie. It is what has been happening on every day 6 after the 8 chemos Ranjan has been subjected too. It is the blood test taken a what is called the nadir of the cycle, or for the uninitiated the time when the blood counts are at their lowest. 

In medical parlance, chemotherapy is given in cycles. In our case every second Friday. For them a 'cycle' means the day on which chemo is given. My picture is a tad different. My cycle never stops from day 1 to 14 and I have just realised that I have chemo on my mind almost 24/7.  There is a side effect in chemo therapy called chemo brain, chemo fog or Post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment. I just heard of it a few days back and now understand why Ranjan is unable to concentrate. Chemo fog entails loss of memory, concentration, remembering names, problems multi tasking etc. One of the chemical drug that brings this is steroids the very Dexona Ranjan reacted too so badly too in the first chemo and that was given to him SEVEN times thanks to the super efficiency of a super speciality hospital! I owe him apologies for having kept badgering him to read or do sudoku! Poor chap. Here is an interesting first hand account of a cancer patient having lived in a chemo fog!

But let us get back to my chemo cycle and let us begin it just like the medics do on day one. Day one is chemo day, you get up early, pack your goodies: edible food, ice, chocolates, iPad, a book ( ha ha ) and set off for a day of battle. Yes it is battle day from start to finish: you battle to get a quick admission and a bed - the alternative is what they call a recliner and I call a torture chair -. That is battle one. Then you move to battle two where you battle to get the chemo started and from now on to ensure that the right drug is poured in the veins of your loved one. Then as every patient has to have an attendant - shocking in a expensive super speciality hospital, this sounds more like a state run one - you keep looking at the drip and scoot when you think it is finishing for a nurse to arrive. And then you battle to get your release. Coming home means dealing with Ranjan who has reacted differently to every chemo so you have no reference point and have to deal with a new situation and find a solution.

Day 2 and 3 are days when Ranjan is really down and you just watch him and try to make things better, coax him into eating and just feel helpless and angry.

Day 4 and 5 are better days when Ranjan revives a little and you can pretend that all is well.

Day 6 is blood test day and you wait with bated breath for the results hoping they will not be too low. Once you have them you SMS the doctor.

Day 7 was when you had to see the doctor, but I have done away with this as it was just part of a drama that I did find necessary.

Day 8 and 9 are again quiet but then day 10, 11 and 12 are when I have to give him his booster injections.

Day 13 is a repeat of the image above with blood test and waiting for the results and getting confirmation from the doctor that he is OK for chemo.

Day 14 is chemo again.

This has been my life in 14 day cycles!