The waiting game

A hospital visit for methotrexate is really a waiting game. We arrive and we wait for a clinic room. Once we're in the room, we wait for blood test results. Then we wait for orders to be written and IV fluids to be started. Once fluids are running, we put cotton balls in James' diaper and wait for his urine tests to show that he is well-hydrated and his pH is on the alkaline side. Then we hook up the chemo (after the orders come through and the pharmacy gets it mixed and ready to go) and we wait... for 24 hours. The last few hours, the nurses are tweaking the rate he gets the chemo to make it finish write on time. As soon as the chemo is finished (almost exactly 24 hours after it was started), we switch to more fluids to help flush it out. While that is running, we wait for more blood lab results. Then we wait for the fluids to run for another 24 hours. At that point, the nurse will draw blood and we will wait for the lab results to come back again. These lab results are very important. If the levels are just right, we stop waiting and hurry to pack and load up so we can go home!

Today we are waiting for 6:15 p.m.... for the lab draw that will determine if we get to go home tonight or if we have to wait til tomorrow.

We are praying we will get to go home tonight (and that the lab results will come back quickly--say, within an hour, which is normal, but wasn't last night). Will you join us?

Thanks for stopping by!

Love, Stephanie