Treatments

So, there I was headed to my first treatment. It was the start of a new year, January 2010, and there was plenty to be hopeful about. I was dressed casually, I had a bag filled with a blanket, a book, and my iPod. I was ready to roll.

The Midwest Cancer Center is a beautiful building. Lots of glass, a waterfall, and just a really beautiful place to come and get healed. I checked in and waited for the nurse to come and take me back to get my blood pressure and my weight. After a brief wait, I got shuffled into the exam room to wait for Dr. Tarantolo. The only problem was Dr. Tarantolo didn't come in. Instead, it was a nurse practitioner.

I had dealt with an NP before. It was never a bad experience, but I never felt as confident and assured after a visit with the NP. On this day, I had my game face on. I was ready to face my first treatment. She came in, looked over my records and then asked the question of the day. "Have you been tested for Hepatitis B?" Excuse me?

This was the first time that Hepatitis B had ever come up. Before I could start treatment, I had to be tested for Hepatitis B. I didn't remember this coming up with anyone before, but I figured with as much blood that I had drawn from me over the previous years, surely someone had checked for this. Despite having my game face on for treatment, it was beginning to sound like I wouldn't be starting after all.

For the NP it was an open and shut case. No Hepatitis B test, no treatment, time to move on to the next patient. I went out to the treatment area and sat down to get ready for the blood draw that would be used to check for Hepatitis B. I thought it was odd that the NP wasn't interested in checking with my primary doctor. I had mentioned it, but she said since it wasn't in my records, there wasn't any use in calling my primary doctor. That didn't work for me, so I asked the appointment secretary, Terri, if she would call my primary.

Terri was the first friend I made at the cancer center. She was happy to make the call for me and find out if I had ever been tested for Hepatitis B. It turns out that I hadn't been tested before, but now we knew for sure, so while I wasn't happy that we weren't getting started, I felt better knowing that we had all the facts before moving forward.

As expected, the Hepatitis B test came back negative, so the following week I was back on for treatment. I made my second trip to the cancer center, met with Dr. Tarantolo, and he laid out the plan. I would have six weeks of Rituxan, followed by a couple weeks of Rituxan and Cytoxan. We talked about side-effects, which with the Rituxan would be minimal.

So, with our visit over, it was out to the treatment area. I grabbed a recliner with my back to the south window. Darci was the first nurse I had, and she explained what she would be doing. First, I got some Tylenol to keep my stomach settled. After I took the two Tylenol, it was time to fire up the IV cocktail of Benadryl and Decadron. This little preamble would prepare my system for the Rituxan. The Benadryl made me drowsy and gave me a buzz I hadn't felt since my drinking days. The pre-meds took about 30 minutes to administer.

Now it was time to fire up the Rituxan.