Watching chemotherapy drug being made showed how complicated the processes are

Not much has happened for me this week. So because I have not had any good or bad news so I thought I’d tell you about when I was lucky enough to film how my chemo is made.

I thought my chemo just came in a bag already made up for when I got there but I was completely wrong. Each person’s chemotherapy drugs are made when they get there. This is because they go on your blood count, weight, height and type of cancer. So everyone’s drugs are completely different.

You arrive for the day and have your blood taken. The blood is then sent to the lab to be checked to make sure your count is fine and you are able to have the treatment. The drugs are then made in a special room that is off limits. However I was allowed to go in and film the process for my dissertation.

It first begins in room one where the pharmacist sorts out all the things she needs to make the chemo, like different types of needles, containers, the drugs measurements and so on. She has to make sure she has everything she needs as once she has gone through room two and into room three she can not come back out again, unless she wants to do the process all over again.

She then washes her hand with different soaps and starts to clean all the items she has sorted out to take with her. She cleans the boxes that she is going to put the things in, and then wipes each item over. She then does the same process for a second time. They are then passed through a sealed hatch into room three.

The pharmacist then goes into room two and puts on a special coat to cover her clothes, a hat to cover her hair, gloves for her hands and some crocs for her feet. This is because everything that goes into room three has to be sterilised. I actually got to do all this myself, so I certainly looked a picture when I was suited up ready.

Room three is where the drugs are made. All of the items that were cleaned in room one and passed through the hatch are cleaned all over again. Even the telephone and measurements sheet is cleaned and placed inside clear bags. They are then left for two minutes and this is actually timed with a stopwatch.

The drugs come in liquid or powder form and are placed inside a special container that is locked for another two minutes. Once the time is up, the pharmacist can begin to make then up. They are made in a container that has two hand holes so the pharmacist can sit in front of the glass with her hands into the container. After she has made them up she rings the pharmacy to get another pharmacist to make sure she has made the right drugs and measurements. This is called a volume check. They are then placed inside a final container for two minutes. The last thing to do is attach a sticker with the patient’s details onto the drugs.

I now know why it takes so long for them to make the chemo drugs. I never realised how much preparation went into making them and found it really interesting to see the process.

Scan results gave me a boost but university work's so hard

Hooray! I finally have some good news for everyone. After weeks of bad things, something good has happened at last. I have had the results to my PET Scan and they were negative which means I have no active cancer cells in my body, so all the bad side effects I have had have all been worth it. I still have to carry on with my treatment until I have been told I can stop but at least I know it is working when I have my down days.

While we are talking about good news. Last Friday I was able to have my chemo as I couldn’t have it the week before because of my bone marrow. My blood count was up at 22, which is even higher than someone who doesn’t have cancer. It felt a bit funny having it again, I think my body thought it was all over after the little delay.

This week I have been trying to carry on with my university work. I graduate this year so I wanted to carry on when I found out I was ill. I thought it would be fine doing my work at home but it’s been hard. I can’t just pop into university to talk to my tutors or go to the library whenever I feel like it to do some work, I have to plan it in advance or suddenly chance my plans if I am ill or tired.

My dissertation is what’s taking the longest. I have to make a documentary on a topic of my choice and I was doing it on Teenage Pregnancy but then I became ill so changed the subject to all about what I am going through but it is really hard. There is more to making and producing a documentary than people think, it isn’t that easy.

I then have my photo journalism module, where I need to take 200 pictures and pick the best 10 and turn them into a feature for a paper or website and finally my work placement module, where I need to evaluate my work experience at Touch Radio in Tamworth last year.

Some days I am either too tired or I cant concentrate. This is because of the chemo fatigue and it’s really frustrating. I have worked so hard over the last 3 years I don’t want to give up and I am only a few weeks away, but I keep thinking am I going to get it done in time. I best do, Mum has already brought my graduation tickets and outfit.

I make no bones about it, the injection hurt

Well not many of you could have had your fingers crossed very well last week for me because when I went for my chemo last Friday guess what happened? … I wasn’t able to have it again!

This time it wasn’t for my white blood cells it was my to do with my bone marrow. When you reach the middle of your treatments your body finds it harder to recover after each chemo and so your count becomes low unless it is given longer to recover before been hit with more chemo or boosted with a special injection. Well you can imagine with my luck which route I had to go down. Yes you guessed right, it was needle time for me, my worst nightmare.

I had been told all about this when I first began my chemo back in February but me been me kept thinking it wont happen to me and I will be fine, I wont have to have the big injection, how wrong I was.

When Anita told me the bad news I just burst into tears. I knew I had no other option to have the injection and it would be for the best. It was either that or have to be admitted into hospital because my count was that low, if it had gone any lower then I would have been in trouble. I had my best friend the Emela cream (used many other times I’ve needed a needle) rubbed on the top of my thigh in hope it would numb the area a bit, but did it? No it did not.

I felt the needle go in, but I then screamed and cried so loud as I felt the liquid been squirted into my leg and then I felt the needle coming out my leg. It hurt loads, in fact it hurt more than having my two operations and then having the stitches out after and that is saying something.

The injection is to help boost your bone marrow, it basically forcing your body to produce more as it cant do it naturally, but there can be side effects and I didn’t half feel them over the weekend. I had really bad pains in my back and legs and at one point I felt like a 90 year old. I couldn’t walk properly or sleep very well and at sometimes I could feel my heart beat, it was throbbing that much. It was just horrible and I thought I want to give up now. I can’t be going through this each week if my counts get low again.

Watching episodes of The Bill takes me right back to those university days

This week I am writing this from my bed while watching The Bill. Yes I watch The Bill. I have watched it for years and I used to make everyone at University sit and watch it each week so I wouldn’t miss it. Very sad I know but quite funny at the same time.

I got a bit annoyed and upset last week because I was ill. I had had my chemo on the Friday so it made it my good week where I am able to go out, but for the last few treatments I have had bad side effects which means I am ill on my good week and by the time I am better it is my low week where I cant really go out, so this got me a bit stressed and down with myself.

Every Sunday after my chemo I wake up with a bad mouth and then for the next three or four days I am not able to eat, drink or talk properly because of the pain. I then have pains in my chest where my line is, so I am not sleeping very well at night because whatever way I lay it hurts. It got that bad I ended up going to Little Aston to have a blood test to make sure my blood count was okay and nothing else was wrong. My blood count came back and it was the highest it has been which surprised me a lot. I felt like rubbish yet my blood count was fine, very strange. I know being ill isn’t my fault but I hate knowing it is going to happen every time I have my chemo. I don’t think I can put up with going through that pain until the end of my treatment.

My sister Sarah’s sickness bug hasn’t helped either this week. It is my low week and I am not if I can help it allowed to go by people who are ill. So every time she goes into a room I come out of it. It has been quite funny when it comes to watching the TV in the lounge. We have had to sit opposite ends of the room like two little kids who have been naughty.

Fingers crossed for this Friday. I am off for another session of treatment, so lets hope I can have it seen as I have been unwell again. Last time this happened I couldn’t have my chemo and it had to be delayed.