Day 5 of Interleukin 2 treatments, and our last day

Friday, October 24, 2014

We are going home today!  He needs some electrolyte supplements first, which take about 3 hours to drip, then we can hit the road for our long drive home.  Just in case, we will pack a plastic bucket and plastic bag, he may get nauseated.  They said they will also give him prophylactic meds for nausea.

Kevin received 9 doses all together and then he hit the proverbial wall, as they say.  The doctors say he looks great for what his body went through.  They all said the amount of doses you can take doesn't actually effect the efficacy of the treatment, but he did do the average amount that most can handle.  I am very proud of him to say the least.

He is still feeling pretty bad today, better than during the treatment, but still feels like he has the flu. At this time, 10am, it's been 15 hours since his last and final dose.  He is sleeping a lot, and has mild nausea from eating breakfast. His fever is gone, but his pulse is still high, about 100.  His blood pressure is getting back to normal.  During treatments it was down to 90/50.  They say the side effects will last for a few days and up to 2 weeks.  I will continue to write about his post treatments side effects.


What I learned, from a caregivers perspective:

1. Get ahead of any side effects.  As soon as you feel anything, tell the nurse.
2. Don't be afraid to push the call button for the nurse, they actually feel better if you do.
3. This treatment is quite rough on the body, and you will feel pretty bad.  When they say "you will feel like you have the worst flu you ever had" they aren't kidding.
4. Listen to your body, if it say's to stop, then you should stop.  More isn't better.
5. Take a deep breath every now and again, regroup, and use whatever support system you have in order to get through this.  My spiritual support system is, and has always been, God.  My physical support system is my family and friends.  Without this, I would not be able to get through this.
6. Bring a laptop, tablet, or books.  You will have a few hours stretch with nothing to do, well not nothing, the nurses do come in every half our or so.  So after you shower, eat, you'll have time to read, play your favorite games, OR start a blog, lol.
7. Pick the best cancer hospital you can.  A staff that is well educated on cancer treatments will make a big difference in how they handle your care.
8. Bring a pair of sweat pants, or lose pants.  The person who is receiving this treatment can gain up to 20 pounds in water weight, Kevin gained 11.  The jeans he came in with will not fit.
9. Bring a robe from home, they will want you to walk the halls and its easier to cover your bum that way  :)
10. Do the saline rinse, even though it tastes horrible, the moth sores will be worse than the saline rinse.  That goes the same for the nystatin rinse for thrush (yeast infection in the mouth), it tastes bad, but it does a good job of healing thrush.

When Kevin is feeling better, I will have him write a blog about interleukin 2 treatments from his perspective.

Thank you for reading