When, I posted my last blog update, I spoke about how my PICC line had been irritating me. I even wrote "I really cant complain, I have had it pretty easy with side effects so far so its about damn time that something happens". Well I should have kept my mouth shut! Friday , August 18, about a week after my last chemo, I had my regular dressing change where a home care nurse comes and cleans it and flushes my line. Unfortunately, with this dressing change my skin was not completely dry when the new dressing went back on. By Saturday my arm was covered in itchy hives. By Sunday morning, the hives were worse and the area on my arm where the PICC line entered my arm looked very infected. I also wasn't feeling the greatest and noticed that my temperature was higher than normal. I check my temperature twice a day on a regular basis and it is usually around 36.6 degrees Celsius. This time my temperature was around 37.7-37.8. Once my temperature hits 38 degrees, I have to go to the emergency room immediately. Although I wasn't having a fever, my family and I thought it was best to head up to the hospital. After 7 long hours at Cobourg Hospital, my PICC line was removed from my right arm. Fortunately there was no blood infection, although it was determined that there was a small infection from my PICC line so they prescribed me antibiotics.
Monday morning, I was back to the hospital to get my PICC line reinserted and this time into my left arm. The new PICC went in with no issues. On Wednesday August 23rd, I had my Pre-chemo doctors appointment. By then my new PICC line wasn't infected but I had developed another rash from the dressing. The Doctor explained that It may not necessarily mean I have an allergy to the dressings but because one of the chemo drugs I am receiving (Dacarbazine) targets my immune system, I am more susceptible to infections as well as skin irritations. Because of this drug, I am also having a hard time getting rid of the previous hives and rashes on my body because my immune system is so low. Thankfully, the nurses experimented with a few different dressings and I think I've found one that is less irritating, and I was able to receive my 5th Chemo on Thursday. Because my arm still has some irritations, I did talk to the nurses about having my line out permanently and having to have an IV in every time. The down side to having it out is that the time for my chemo will go from approximately an hour and and half to over 3 hrs. I will also have sore muscle pain where the injection site is. However; this is still an option for me, if the PICC line ends up being too uncomfortable for me. Other side effects that I have been having since Chemo #5, on Thursday is tiredness and more hair loss. My scalp has become really sore and red which is normal. The nurses recommended Baby Shampoo as it is less harsh on my scalp. In other posts, I have talked about how I have a lot of energy right after chemo and then crash 5 days later. This time I noticed a huge decrease in my energy levels. The night after my chemo, I felt extremely tired and everyday since then has been tiring. But just because I'm tired doesn't mean I'm not able to do things. I will let people know when I'm too tired but I'll also let people know when I'm doing Ok and want to do something. An upside to this week is that at the end of September, If my body allows me to, I'll be going camping with other young adults with cancer in Quebec. While I was at Cobourg Hospital one of the nurses handed me a flyer for a foundation called "On the Tip of the Toes". Its basically a getaway adventure for young adults ages 18- 29 living with cancer to get out of the house and meet with people who are going through similar situations. Once I heard of this opportunity, I applied online. The next day I got a call. All I have to do is basically get the "OK" from my doctor and have a blood test done the week before to make sure I'm good to go. The good thing about this camping adventure is that I will be with people with similar levels of energy, so it hopefully wont tire me out too much. There is also a nurse, doctor and social worker who will be with us at all times. I am looking forward to this amazing opportunity. This week I have many upcoming visits! Tomorrow, I hope to see my old roommate Amy and this coming weekend Holly will be staying with me before she heads back to the Rock for school! I am so blessed to have everyone coming to visit! Another thing I am so thankful to have the encouragement and support from my friends. Being still so young, I can't imagine having a friend go through this. For my friends and I, this has become a new journey for all of us and to know I'm not walking through this without them is so very touching. A few of my friends that I call my "Rats" will be walking in the "Light the Night Walk" in St. John's on September 23rd in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. At the end of this "journey", I plan to live a long healthy life. I am fortunate that Hodgkin's Lymphoma has an approximate survival rate of 90-95%. However, this would not be possible if it wasn't for the money raised from these types of fundraisers, going to cancer research. Please help support my "Rats" in this walk as they will be helping so many people just like me battling blood cancers. To donate, please follow this link: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=768105&langPref=en-CA
1 Comment
Andrew
8/29/2017 08:04:58 pm
Hey i'm glad you're keeping everyone up to date with your battle. Keep on keeping on katie :)
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Author: Katie BarkerJust an average Sailor who battled Cancer and won! Archives
August 2018
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