First VDC outpatient chemo
The routine for this was to leave our home early (it was a 40-minute drive), go to the blood draw area to have blood work, then to the Sarcoma Clinic to see Dr. Reed, and then to the infusion center at Moffitt. There was usually a wait in the very large waiting room there. Then Mathew would be called back and pre-chemo meds would start, then the chemo, all of which took hours.
This was the first time, we were told it would possibly take as long as 8 hours or more. We had no preconceptions, there was no way to compare the 5-day inpatient I.E. chemo to the VDC.
Each patient had a small area, the chair they sat in, a chair for family or caretakers, and room for nurses, and I.V. poles. Like a miniature hospital room.
This is when I started taking a rolling bag to accommodate the Monkey Bag, Mat’s journal, a book for me, snacks and my laptop. At this time, Mathew still needed a wheelchair.
From Mathew’s Journal
I take notes on a video of chemo
An old lady next to me laughs
she mumbles something about already having had chemo.
-she’s had chemo for over 41 years.
The first cancer was when (illegible).
I’d be more interested is she had survived that long with a Sarcoma.
My writing takes place in a familiar space.
Hardwood floors, large green chairs, monitors everywhere.
I remember that woman. (It turns out she was a customer of Mathew’s Dad in Lakeland). Small world. She was telling us that she had cancer many years ago and as a result of the chemo, she developed another cancer and now received a small dose of chemo once a month to keep it in check. This was encouraging, but as Mathew wrote….compared to Sarcoma, it’s apples and oranges.
Mathew watched the required video, wrote a bit and then shut out the world as best as he could.
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