1st Half of 5th Dose

29 May 2008, Thursday - I had the central line (central venous catheter) inserted in my left chest (near the shoulder) under local anaesthetic. It was an ultra-sound guided procedure. It was a simple procedure, but I was told that one of the risks was excessive bleeding.

The silicone tube is inserted through an incision on the skin and into a blood vessel. At the exit point, there is a plastic clip (suture wing) where both ends of the suture wing are stitched to the skin to prevent the catheter from slipping out. Further along the line is a clamp. The clamp is only opened when flushing or administering of drugs, otherwise it is kept closed at all times.

The only discomfort I felt was when the surgeon kept pressing on my shoulder, probably to stem the bleeding. My shoulder felt like it was going to break off. My shoulder was sore for the next couple of days.

I wanted a second opinion on my condition and my response to chemo, but I didn't know which doctor to approach. By the time I called one that Irene had recommended, he was on leave and won't be back until after I was supposed to have my 5th dose.

When I saw Dr Wong on 26 May, Monday, I had told her that I wasn't feeling good after the 4th dose of chemo and that I wanted to stop. She said, no bargaining and that it was the board's decision. In that case, I told her I can't take the full dose and requested to be switched back to the smaller weekly dose. She said ok, but I didn't know then that she had given instructions for the dose to be split into only 2 instead of 3. I only found out when I asked the nurses at the chemo unit and when I couldn't tally up the units of chemo drugs. Regretfully, my trust in my onco had taken a knock.

I also found out later that from the blood test taken on 26 May, that the cancer marker had dropped to 18.8.

1st half of 5th dose - herceptin 300 mg, taxotere 40 mg, carboplatin 250 mg

I didn't need the iv plug anymore and this half dose was administered through the central line. Before using the catheter, nurse had to flush and check the backflow to ensure that it is not blocked.

Nurse showed me how to clean, change dressing and flush the catheter, as I had to change the dressing once a week myself. I bought the dressings, syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, saline vials, etc. When showering, I had to cover the whole area with plastic and tape to prevent it from getting wet.