The port... a drama in several acts

The famous chemo post has been placed but what a drama  it was. We were asked to reach the hospital at 7 am. We did Ranjan, Dharmendra and I. The place was eerie. Not a soul, dim lights: a perfect setting for the play to unfold. At 7.15 all the lights came on. We just sat there waiting for the protagonists. They sauntered in one by one: the guards (there were none till then), the cleaning staff and then the reception staff. By 7.45 we could start the act one. The paperwork. As usual it took forever but by 8.30 we had a room. Then after some more waiting a nurse peeped in. She came back a few moments later and took BP and vitals. Around 9 there was some activity: the OT staff was there, Ranjan was made to change and was wheeled out to the OT. We were told the procedure would take one hour. So for the next hour we waited quite happily. 10, 11! I started agitating and ask D to find out what was happening. He was told it would take 'a little time'.

At 11. 36 am I get a phone call from some Doc on the surgeon's team asking me if I am Ranjan's attendant. I say yes! She then tells me that Ranjan is scheduled for a chemo port placement. I again say yes! But I start getting concerned. She goes on to say: he is coming?? I am totally zapped. I tell her he is here and has been taken to the OT floor more than two hours ago! Talk of efficiency.

I guess they 'located' him as there is no call after that just some more waiting. At about 1pm or so they bring him back to the room. In the mean time I have been busy getting in touch with the oncologist to ask him if we do the scheduled chemo or postpone it for a day. He answers by saying that we go ahead if it is not too 'late'. I try to imagine what 'late' in this case means. The last time we started 'late' after his PET scan we went reached home well past 9pm. True it was pouring that night. I finally locate the good Doc and he tells me that we should be able to begin by 2pm as there is no place in the chemo day care and chemo cannot be given any where else. Remember chemo is lethal poison! The toxic brew can only be brewed in a special well isolated cabin.

Shamika has come in so I decide to take a break and have some lunch at home, the food available in the hospital is all 'fast' and I need a slow cooked meal. I am quite confident that we are on track and the chemo would be on the way soon. But this a play with a lot of action and we are not through. I have a bath, and have just began to eat - it is 3 pm - when I call informs me that Ranjan is still 'waiting' for a bed in the chemo ward. He has been brought down but no bed has yet been vacated. I look at my watch and wonder when this rather laborious and now annoying play will end. By 3.30 he has a bed and after the usual weighing and measuring - this was done earlier one floor up; why can't things be computerised and shared - and the BP, and temperature and pulse routine all seems set for the chemo. A quick mental calculation and I figure we should be done by 7.30 now that there is a port and no need for needles. I plan on getting back by 5pm. At 4 I get another call from Shamika saying that nothing has begun. They are apparently making Ranjan's cocktails. Normally 4 of them. I again wonder why, when they knew that he was coming in for chemo at 2pm and was simply waiting for a bed, did not prepare the mixes. But it is all about protocols! I will not get into that.

When I reach the hospital at 5.10, the actual chemo has not begun. Some shouting and raving gets things moving and the first of 4 lethal brews arrives. Ranjan who has been in the hospital from 7am, starved till 1 pm and had a port inserted and hence a raw wound is exhausted. All he has had are some bad sandwiches and a 'upma' that Shamika and Dharmendra said looked 'foul'. But the ravenous man gulped it all hungry as he was.  He even had bad coffee!  When I heard all this, my heart stopped. How would his body react to all this bad food when for the past months now he has been on a very healthy and organic food. React it did. But that is for later. Let us finish this act. Finally the real chemo began at 5.15 and I think they rushed the drips a little as we were through by 8.15pm. After final instructions about the port and the next steps we left at 8.30 to be stuck in the mother of all traffic jams!

That is when all reactions began. Ranjan went pale, started feeling nauseous and strange. When we got home he was listless, refused anything to eat and just lay down disoriented and in pain. I was really worried as this was a first for me. I knew he had to take some medicines no matter what - antibiotics and pain killers - but he would not budge. After gentle coaxing he ate a banana and two pieces of chocolate. I gave him the minimum medication and hoped for the best. Finally, after much tossing and turning, whining and moaning he fell asleep.

I feel into a light slumber, my ears attuned to his every movement and sound. Thankfully he slept and woke up looking more like himself.

I am ready with my arsenal!