Iowa City Hospital - Outpatient #3 - Chemo Round #4 - December 10

Thursday morning the 10th we arrived at the hospital before 8 AM, so we could see the doctor before having chemo. They took my vitals, which we all very good, and weighed me - 160 pounds. I feel that I eat all the time, so I was surprised that it was not closer to 170. And my Ukrainian friends are not shy about telling me, nicely, that I need to gain weight. (Just like they were not shy in telling me in 2014 that I was fat.) I just tell them that I will be able to work on gaining weight and getting stronger once chemo is over.

We then waited to see the doctor, who was seeing patients in the hospital. My blood work from the day before came back fine, and the urinalysis also was good, so I expected to get my nephrostomy capped.

After seeing him, we headed to the infusion lab for chemo. This time I got a room with a bed and a private bathroom, rather than a cubicle with a recliner. It was more comfortable for me, but Denise missed having the window seat for lying down.

Chemo is in progress and I am comfortable

My doctor's nurse came to let us know that I would not be having my nephrostomy capped today. It seems that in Radiology, every day a different doctor is in charge and what one says on one day the next doctor does not always do if he does not agree. We talked with her a bit, and she agreed to have my doctor try to talk to them again, as he was in favor of getting the nephrostomy capped and ultimately removed, because it has been a source of infection in the past.

Once they finished with all the quicker chemicals and started the Rituxan (which runs for a couple of hours), I slept from 12 to 1. That felt good, since I got up earlier than normal. Then Denise went to get lunch and, when she returned about 1:30 with lunch, my chemo was already done.

The doctor wanted me to try the Neulasta On Body (which automatically delivers a shot to help boost my white blood cells) again, so when chemo was finished, the nurse put that on my stomach. (It was a relief when, Friday afternoon, it worked successfully!)

We stopped at the Cancer Center Pharmacy to pick up a couple of prescriptions, as usual, then we went to where my doctor works to find his nurse. She came out to talk to us and said that she needed a few more minutes, as she was waiting for a call back from someone in Radiology. At least that meant there was hope. Even a little.

It was not long until she returned with good news - we needed to head to Radiology immediately, as they would be capping my nephrostomy today and soon, after checking again that my right kidney was functioning properly. Praise God! We had time to eat our lunch before the quick procedure actually happened, and then someone came to get me. I was excited!

They put some contrast through the tube, took some pictures, a doctor reviewed those pictures, and then said "Cap it!". I was very glad to hear those words! After they capped it, I was on my way rejoicing and thanking God. No more of my "friend", the nephrostomy bag. It had been one week under three months and, while I was thankful for the procedure that saved my right kidney, I was ready to get rid of the bag!

Our current plan is to have the tube and stent removed completely on December 21st.

As always, the big question in both of our minds as we headed home was, "Will I be able to stay healthy and out of the hospital after this round of chemo?" Whether I do or not, we know that we can trust God to take care of me!