The excitement that is my left arm.

I haven't posted in over a week.  The reason is that I'm really not enjoying typing these days.


So, I had chemo last Monday.  As I noted, I had a little bit of a port clot.  Things would only flow "in" and not "out."  As such, they didn't want to give the chemo through it until it was running.  Since the only chemo I really needed to get through the port was the DTIC, I figured what would be the harm in getting the pre-meds and a few other chemo drugs through the peripheral line?


Now I know.  (And knowing is half the battle).  Starting last Tuesday and peaking some time today, my arm revolted.  It started in my elbow, which is where the peripheral line was started.  It got red and hot, and my vein now feels like a guitar string.  Actually, more like a bass guitar string.  After that, the pain progressed up the inside of my upper arm, and down the underside of my forearm.  My left hand tingles and sometimes twitches.   I had to visit the cancer center three times in this time.


Yesterday, I saw my oncologist and the head nurse there.   There is really nothing to be done about this, it is a very bad phlebitis and I'm told it is going to hurt "for a while."  (No clot.)  It will eventually go away, but it won't be soon.   I feel like probably some point this afternoon was probably the worst of it.   It isn't an excruciating pain, but it is absolutely constant and unrelenting.   As such, it is fairly distracting, and so I cannot concentrate on, well, anything appropriately.


I was told to ice it, and I was also told to take ibuprofen and Percocet.  The ibuprofen was a new suggestion yesterday, and I thought the reason this was off-limits to chemo patients is because of the irritation to an already irritated GI tract.  As it turns out, that is part of the concern, but the other part is platelets.  Since mine have been fine the whole time, I was cleared.   So, with that, last night I took 3 Percocet, 3 ibuprofen (200mg), and 2 tylenols.   I honestly didn't notice any improvement with this.  I'm not convinced the ice does much either, except maybe numbs things slightly.  The one thing that seemed to help was Ambien, since you don't feel pain when sleeping.  As such, I'm likely to go to bed soon tonight.


I do hate to complain, I realize it helps nothing, but, that's why I'm not enjoying typing.  Although this has been constantly on my mind for a week, in the scheme of "bad cancer things" this is cake.  It isn't dangerous.  It isn't even as bothersome as the mucositis I had early on, since that can lead to dangerous things.  It isn't as gross as the nausea or chemical taste that is so often in my mouth.  I still wish it would go away though.