Day at the Infusion Center

What is an infusion center?

It is a place not in a hospital but in a large room off the reception room of a cancer center where a group of patients are "infused." Today they were running really behind. We had an appointment at 9:45. The infusion is supposed to last 45 minutes. We were out at 2:15.

At 10:45 we saw the doctor. A very knowledgeable Philopino doctor who was figuatively and literally on the run. She checked the results of the blood test for kidney function.. everything was okay. She answered my question.. how and when will we know it worked.. answer: About 2 years from now.

And then she ordered some hot compresses so that the veins would surface. At 11:45 Sue was ready to have the intervenous bottles hooked up. She was sitting in a very elaborate leather reclining chair and there were 12 others much older than her in similar leather reclining chairs and one stout Mennonite nurse checking levels and threading needles. The room was huge. There were 4 TV's hung from the ceiling and most of the patients were sound asleep as the bags slowly flowed into their systems. A few had wives there to keep them company. Some of these folks were also asleep.

Sue was very thirsty so I was dispatched to the Starbucks across the street and down where I had a green tea ice tea made up for her and I had my usual cappuccino. When I returned they had her hooked up to the tubes and the saline was flowing. At 11:45 she was feeling a little uncomfortable since the saline was burning a little. At 1:00 she was given the bottle that contained the bone enhancer medication and it slowly dripped down from the bottle. At 2:15 it was through and so were we. We dropped by the tax ladies and signed 2006 and talked about what we needed for 2007.

Sue had a chance to shop at Craft shop and a stop at Target and finally we got something to eat at the coffee shop.

We left the day knowing that we were indeed better off than the others that were waiting for cancer infusions. A new appreciation for our lives..

Love
Pat