This chemo session made me a little nervous. AC chemo is two different drugs administered in two steps. The first infusion is more toxic and is done "by hand" by the nurse; the second is done through IV drip. I had a different nurse this time, and she administered the first chemo twice as fast as the previous nurse had. I was chatting with my dear friend and colleague Ina and didn't notice how fast it was going until the nurse announced it was over. Because my previous nurse had specifically told me it should be done over 20 minutes, and this was less than 10 minutes, I expressed some concern to the nurse. She assured me that the time depends on the dosage and that 10 minutes was fine for this dosage. However, I soon began to feel a little strange. (Normally, chemo day doesn't have too many side effects, because they load you up with so many fluids and anti-nausea meds through IV.)
By evening I was feeling different enough in comparison to the previous times that I was worried and decided to call the oncologist on call. She told me it wasn't "dangerous" that the chemo was administered quickly. She agreed it should be done consistently and said she would write a report that would trigger a review by pharmacy and nursing, to make sure the procedure is clear. On a humorous note, she seemed impressed by my detailed explanation and said I was a "better reporter than the typical patient." Later the nursing supervisor called me and apologized for the situation. The hospital is serious about continuous quality improvement and I'm glad to be of service!
