20th Infusion

I had my 20th infusion last September 26. Yes, the big “Two Oh”. I can’t believe it’s a little over 9 months since I first started on Myozyme. How time flies by so quickly.

The night before still started out a bit bad. Like the previous session I had come to the hospital again with a cough. It always develops on the ride to the hospital. I figure it’s because the phlegm gets rocked in my lungs and gets loose on the ride there. Honestly, that’s just my speculation. I don’t really know what happens. It just does.

They had to bring me in with a stretcher again. Every time I’d sit up the phlegm goes down to my lungs and I can’t seem to expell it out. So lying down helps ease the coughing.

I got to my room. The unlucky room 731. I drank some medicine, turned sideways and waited till I could cough out the phlegm. It eventually came out. Thank God.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Except for the ECG test that I had to do. It’s been 9 months and every 3 months they do some tests to see if I’ve made any progress. The ECG is one of those tests.

I woke up on infusion day (Tuesday). I had to get my weight before having breakfast. I’m happy to note that I gained weight. Prior to this I’ve been losing weight the past few weeks. I really think it was because of the food supplement I was taking. I switched to Ensure Plus two weeks prior. I gained 2.5 kilos because of it. Whoa!!! 2 weeks before I weighed a measly 39.5 kilos. I’m now at 42 kilos. I hope my weight gain continues.

I ate breakfast after. I didn’t get my usual breakfast which was pancakes and sausage from McDonalds. Instead I got Tapa(some kind of beef jerky) from Jollibee. I just wanted to try something new today. Needless to say I’ll be going back to my regular staple next time. Didn’t like the Tapa much..

This time I was lucky. Inserting the I.V. line was a one-shot deal. The resident did a great job. It’s better since they were able to use the same line to draw blood from me. I needed to get some bloodwork as part of the tests.

The infusion went well.. Till the time that the pulse oximeter that we were using sparked and caught fire. Not a big one though. Just enough to make the room smell awful. The nurse saw it at once and pulled the plug out of the socket. That got my heart racing. I forgot to mention that the night before, the refrigirator sparked as well. It must have been the wiring of the room.

A doctor whom I haven’t seen in a long time dropped by. Dr. Lynn came by together with my regular doctor. It was great seeing Dr. Lynn again. She’s been an instrumental part of my getting Myozyme and it was good to finally get to see her again. The room was filled with chatter. Catching up and other conversations. My mom was there as well as she’s always with me during infusions. Stories were exchanged, laughter filled the room and it was just basically a pleasant afternoon.

We finished at around 3:30 in the afternoon. I had lunch after. I usually don’t take anything during infusions. Only water. I just don’t want anything to interfere with infusions so if I can avoid it I don’t take anything in.

All in all the 20th infusion went well. I’m really now used to this that every infusion is as uneventful as the last. I hope it continues to be this way.