FIRST DAY

Your First Day

So, you wake up, and realize today is THE DAY. The day you begin the toughest battle you will ever endure-against yourself. Today, like a few other days along this journey, will forever resonate with you, and there’s a pretty good chance you’re scared out of your mind. That’s okay. You will have anxiety. That’s okay. Today could be the very worst of it because you’re unprepared, your body doesn’t know what’s about to hit it and there will be so much happening. THAT’S OKAY. The reason you’re reading this after all is because I, the omnipotent twenty year old with a shaved head and bum leg, have agreed to take my experience along with others’ experiences to formulate this survival guide that best helps you when you need it, like today. (Psssst: Guess what? I love you. You’re in good hands.)

Before you leave to the hospital, whether you’re going to the outpatient center for a few hours or inpatient for a few days, there are some things you should pack for your first day:

·      Emla Cream. I doubt you already have this (if you do, woah, go you), but ask for it once you’re situated. It is a cream that contains lidocaine that helps numb the skin. It helps with the pain of port accessing (what? I’ll explain in a bit) or for IV insertions. Put a generous amount on the skin area that is about to be poked, wait 20-30 minutes, and you should have a fairly painless experience.

·      Extra Clothes: If you’re staying in the hospital for a few days, bring some extra clothing. If you’re okay with just the hospital gown then knock yourself out, but I prefer a style that doesn’t make me look like a square. It’ll help you feel fresher at times when you may not be able to shower. Plus, they’re comfy.

·      Electronics and chargers: No matter where you are, you’re going to get bored, want to find a distraction from how sick you feel, and you’ll want your phone/tablet/computer/etc. Hospitals have WiFi and nurses and other patients have great Netflix suggestions and game recommendations tailored to what you like. Also, watch Criminal Minds and The Good Place on Netflix. You can thank me later.

·      Blanket(s): No matter the weather, always play it safe and bring a blanket or two. Hospital beds/cover/sheets are not super comfortable. Sorry. Plus, it’s a piece of home you can easily bring with you!

·      Beanies: Chances are chemotherapy is gonna leave you bald for a while, and your head WILL get cold. Start your stereotypical beanie collection and come with a warm head and in STYLE.

·      Flipflops/Slippers: Yes, tennis shoes can be ideal too, but you’re gonna be in hospital socks and do you really want to take the time to put on tennis shoes to get up to go to the bathroom or to roam around? I sure as hell didn’t. Get something easy to slip on and save yourself the trouble. Okay? Okay.

·      Headphones: For your electronics, basically. It’s just respectful to other patients around you who may want some peace and quiet during their fights.

·      Puzzles/Puzzlebooks: I am willing to bet my prosthetic that someone is going to give you either a coloring book or a book full of crosswords, Sudokus, word searches, and other activities. USE THEM. There will be times where staring at a screen is going to hurt your eyes and it can be quite relaxing, and you can go at your own pace. My one recommendation is to do the coloring sheets that are not the super complex shapes and patterns. You will get frustrated. You will lose interest. You will be stressed out, which happens to contradict the purpose of a the coloring book.

·      Water Bottle/Hydroflask: Nurses will always provide you with cups of water and ice, so bring something to keep it cool. One with straws are perfect for when you’re laying on your side in your bed so you don’t spill all over yourself. Plus, it means the nurses can save the plastic cups they’re gonna give you. You can be a cancer patient and still be environmentally conscious, honey. Save Mother Nature.

·      Snacks: Visitors will come and go and you will be busy or distracted and soon realize you’re hungry. And if you’re inpatient, you will get sick of the hospital food. I repeat: YOU WILL GET SICK OF THE HOSPITAL FOOD.

So, you have your necessities, your keys, your wallet, anything else you feel like you want there, and you head to the hospital even though that’s the last place you want to go. After checking in, it’s going to be a whirlwind, and there are multiple routes a patient could take before they start their first chemo. To start, I'm going to list HOW you can receive chemotherapy drugs. 

There are three ways a patient can receive chemotherapy and other medicines, depending on their route of treatment. The one everyone knows is a standard peripheral IV, which is your typical IV that gets stuck somewhere in your hand or arm, usually. This is done for Outpatient chemo (huh? I’ll explain later I PROMISE) a LOT more often than inpatient. Doesn’t need any maintenance outside of the hospital but can suck after a while because the drugs can be harsh on your veins.

Another way to receive chemo is through a PICC Line. It looks like this:

PICC stands for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter, so think of it as an IV that travels allllll the way to the central line above your heart. It’s a procedure that can be done bedside so it can be used immediately after insertion. Using an Ultrasound scan, it is threaded in your upper arm all the way to your chest and rests just above the heart. You can ask for numbing cream for the procedure and Ativan or Versed to stay calm, because you WILL feel it moving through your body and it WILL feel weird. If not in use, it needs to be flushed at least once a day and the bandaging has to be changed and cleaned once a week. It cannot get wet AT ALL so you have to be careful when washing up or just being out and about. I had a PICC line in the beginning of treatment and meh, I didn’t really like it, but for certain people it is AMAZING. I’ve known former cancer patients who had their PICC line for over a year and absolutely loved it.

The third most common way to receive chemo is known as a Port. It looks like this:

Totally different from the previous two, a port is completely under the skin and requires a full procedure to implant and take out. It is usually somewhere among the chest region, and it is very superficial and can range in sizes. It can be used right away as well but usually doctors want patients to recover from surgery before they start using it. For chemo, a small needle is inserted into the port’s landing, known as “accessing” and the tube that sticks out is where medicines go. At the end of treatment, the needle is removed, so showering and getting it wet is no worry. Emla cream is really good for numbing the skin before access, usually doing it 30 minutes before means no pain from a needle stick. If not in use, it needs to be accessed and maintenance once a month. I received a port after my PICC line (and at this point in time of writing this still currently have it) and I love it. Both PICC lines and ports can also be used for various medicines and can be used in scans and testing if contrast or blood are needed.

Now, this is where a divide comes: Outpatient Chemotherapy and Inpatient Chemotherapy. I’m going to try my best to put in all the information while not making it ultra confusing for ya. Look for stuff that you know is important to your journey and skip over info that doesn’t apply to you (unless you REALLY wanna know it all, then good for you Einstein), and if you’re unsure which way you’re going then read it all and then ask your oncologist so you can come back and refocus on what you truly need to understand. Alright, bear with me, this could very well get very ugly. If I don’t make it past this part, tell my mother I love her.