I have them divided in chunks by letter. Each letter will have its own page [or two, depending on how many words I have].
People who have cancer are often anemic, which means you don’t have enough red blood cells.
Not enough red blood cells will make you feel very tired.
The doctors may have to do an aspiration that involves removing fluids from the body with a needle. Don’t worry; they’ll give you anesthesia so you don’t feel anything.
If you have any allergies, they may give you atarax for it because it prevents allergic reactions.
To keep you from getting too sick, you may have to take Bactrim, which is a big antibiotic pill.
I hated taking Bactrim; the doctors had to watch me take it because if they didn’t, I would never do it.
Benadryll is also used for allergic reactions; it will make you feel sleepy though!
Sometimes, a biopsy, like an aspiration, must be done.
I had to get a biopsy on my birthday once!
Your blood pressure will constantly be monitored.
Cancer is caused when the body can’t stop making a certain kind of cell.
My cancer was called acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML.
A CAT scan is like an x-ray, but you’re lying in a big metal tube.
Chemotherapy, different medicines that stop cell growth, is usually given through an IV.
Chemo tends to make you feel sick when it’s killing the cancer cells.
Child Life will help you out in the hospital; they have games, books, activities and lots of other fun things to do!
Ashley was my Child Life specialist!
If you have a fever, the nurses may do blood cultures to see what is causing it.
One type of chemo is Cytoxan. Many cancers are treated with Cytoxan at some point.
Eventually, your body might feel sore from being so sick. The doctors may give you dilaudid, a very strong pain reliever.
Another chemo medicine is called doxorubicin, and it’s a bright red color.
It can turn your tears red!
If the doctors need to see your heart, they might give you an EKG, short for echocardiogram. They put some goopy Vaseline on your chest and hold a metal wand on your skin.
It lets you see and hear your heartbeat on a computer screen!
Etoposide is another kind of chemo that you may get.
If you’re sick, you may be put on fall precautions and have to have someone with you when you get out of the bed to make sure you don’t fall.
I had a blue fall precaution bracelet.
When getting chemo, it is likely to get fevers. Fevers are caused by infections and make you feel very hot and very cold.
Receiving fluids through an IV can help with fevers.
It may be necessary to receive G-CSF that helps good cells in your body to grow.
Another chemo drug is gemtuzamab, which is very, very strong.
Gemtuzamab is sensitive to light, so the nurses have to wrap it up in tin foil; It’s fun to watch them.
When you get chemo, your hair will most likely fall out. This happens because chemo kills cancer cells as well as other cells, like hair and skin. Losing your hair is no fun, but you get to wear lots of fun hats and bandanas and wigs! Your hair can also come back different than it was before – it may be straighter, curlier, thinner, thicker, or even a different color!
My hair fell out right before Christmas. I was sad at first, but then I got to wear hats all the time. I had a reputation for my hats!
Hemoglobin is a very important cell. It carries oxygen throughout your body and gives you energy! Heparin may be given to clear out IVs so they don’t get clogged with blood cells and medicines.
And one thing to keep in mind is that you should never, ever be afraid to ask for help if you need it, whether it is about feeling sick or just wanting the TV turned off.
People always want to help; sometimes it feels like having servants!
When you get chemo, you will get it through an IV. IV is short for intravenous, which means in the vein. It may sound scary, but they are taken care of by the IV team who know everything about them.
I once had IVs in both hands and they had to attach boards to them so they wouldn’t slip. I felt like Frankenstein when I tried to move.
Having cancer really isn’t fun, so to keep your spirits up, it’s good to tell jokes! It may be difficult to do at first, but hearing something funny can always make you feel better.
The nurses used to come in to listen to comedians with me.
Sadly, many kids have cancer. You may be able to meet some in the hospital and make friends with them.
I have a few friends I met while I was a patient that I’m still friends with now.
Along with jokes, it’s also important to laugh! Again, laughing will help you feel better.
Chemo can do a lot of weird things, like make you sensitive to light too.
My mom called me a vampire because I liked my room to be dark.
Lotion might also feel good because your skin might get dried out from the chemo.
If your mouth hurts from having sores, you may be given magic swizzle. Magic swizzle is like a mouthwash that makes your mouth all numb and tingly.
It makes you drool too, so watch out!
Methotrexate is another type of chemo.
When you’re getting chemo, you’ll be hooked up to a lot of monitors – heart rate monitors, respiratory monitors, blood pressure monitors are a few.
If you’re in pain, you may be given morphine, a very strong pain medicine. It is very similar to dilaudid. You may also be sent for an MRI which is very similar to a CAT scan.
They make a lot of noise, so don’t be scared.
Chemo can make you neutropenic. Neutropenia is when white blood cells are very low, which makes it very easy for you to get sick. When you’re neutropenic you may not be able to eat fruits or veggies with skins on them, eat at buffets or have plants or flowers in your room. This is because they can all have bacteria on them to make you sick.
You’ll have to wear a mask if you want to go out when you’re neutropenic. I wore a mask to go to a concert while I was neutropenic, but I got in trouble anyway. It wasn’t fair.
Neupogen is a type of G-CSF that helps to grow white blood cells and fight neutropenia.
You’ll probably hear the word oncology often. Oncology is the study of cancer. Your doctor is called the oncologist.
My oncologist is Dr. Taylor.
If you are under 21 years old when you first get cancer, it’s considered to be pediatric cancer. You might be in a pediatric hospital with other kids.
Platelets are also given through the lines. Platelets are in your blood and are very important because they help to clot blood and stop bleeding. Chemo can reduce the number of platelets your body has.
I always thought that platelets looked like orange juice.
To get chemo, you may have a PICC line or a port. A PICC line is like an IV in your arm, but can stay in for much longer because it is a strong plastic tube. A port goes under your skin in your chest and is accessed with a special needle and can stay hooked up to an IV like a PICC line. PICC lines and ports are also called central lines, and make getting things like chemo, medicine and other fluids much easier – they can also take blood through them, so you don’t have to get a regular needle every time.
I hate needles, so having a PICC line was a lot nicer than being stuck with a needle every day.
You may also have to wear a Puls-Ox on your finger. It doesn’t hurt; it’s just like a band-aid with a red light that measures the amount of oxygen in your blood.
It works if you put it on your toes too!
Questions are important. Never be afraid to ask your doctors, nurses, family or friends anything that you may be wondering about!
Sometimes, chemo is not enough to fight the cancer, so you may also get radiation.
And when the cancer is all gone, you’ll be in remission!
My remission date is July 1, 2007.
The nurse giving you chemo is an RN, which stands for registered nurse.
If you have a central line, it will probably be flushed with saline often. Saline is a fancy name for salt-water. This keeps the line from getting dirty and blocked up.
You can sometimes taste what goes into the line. Saline makes your mouth taste salty.
While on treatment, you may notice that sounds are louder and smells are stronger. It’s almost like having superpowers!
I was able to smell the dinner cart when it was coming down the hall through 3 sets of doors.
Taste can also be affected by chemo. Foods may taste completely different than they should because the medicines can sometimes mess around with your tastebuds.
I drank Coke once, and it tasted like green grapes. It was odd.
If your central line gets blocked with anything, the IV team will come in and administer TPA, which is a special solution to unclog IV tubes.
Sometimes you’ll feel too sick to eat anything. If this happens, you’ll get TPN, a white solution of different nutrients that you receive through the central line.
Transfusions are very important. If your body does not have enough red blood cells or platelets, they can get transfused through the central line.
I always liked getting blood transfusions because they make you feel less sleepy all the time.
A tumor is generally what causes cancer. Tumors are solid chunks of the excess cells that have been created.
Chemo tends to make people sick, so it’s likely that you’ll have an upset stomach. There are medicines to help you feel less sick though.
When you’re sick with a fever, you may get vancomycin, a strong antibiotic.
I found out that I’m allergic to vancomycin. I get Red Man’s Syndrome, which is just what it sounds like – my skin turns red.
And you’ll always be getting your vitals checked – your temperature, your blood pressure and other things.
White blood cells are some of the most important cells when you’re getting chemo. They are the cells that help your body fight infections, and when they start to come back, it usually means you’re getting better!
When your hair falls out, you may choose to get a wig. A special hairstylist can come in and take measurements of your head and look at pictures of your hair to make a wig that looks just like your old hair!
When you’re in the hospital, you’ll also have a lot of wires everywhere because of all the machines.
I used to get all tangled in my wires and have to call the nurse in to help untangle me.
You might have to get x-rays done to look at bones or other parts of your body.
It stinks to be young and have cancer.
I was 15 when I was diagnosed; LAME!
If your stomach isn’t feeling good, the doctors may give you Zofran, which is supposed to make it feel better.
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