Esalata
Esalata
Fighter: Soft Tissue Sarcoma (Stage IV)
Get and/or give support
Stafford, VA
Female
My Journal
Neulasta on Pro - What they don't tell you
April 5th, 2017

Well, I have been through several more bouts of cancer than some, less than others. Right now I am dealing with number six.

First person in my area to get the rushed antibody chemo treatment. And guess what? I got to have Neulasta on Pro. OK, I don't have to stick myself? I don't have to come back, good, let's do it.

Well, they forgot to tell me that as long as it is functioning properly, there is a green light that flashes. So the first time I had it on my arm, I wake up in the middle of the night. I notices this green light that seemed to come from under the bedroom door. The dogs aren't barking, but automatically I go on high alert.

I walk away from the bedroom door, over to my little display table, watching the door, the light moved away. OK, I just know someone is in my house. Damn dogs, why aren't they going nuts?

I get my little gun out, then go dig out the clip from another hiding spot, and go to the third. Ok, I am armed, and I am not letting anyone mess with my home.

I swing open the door, and tell the girls go get 'em. Well these two happy go lucky dogs, just walk out the door wagging their tails. STILL no barking. The body language is relaxed. Me I notice the slight green light flashing. So I very carefully and slowly move toward the kitchen, found no one, check the den, no one, look at the reflection in the fireplace glass and I see a green light flashing on my arm. So I let the dogs out to go potty, put everything back where it belongs and go to bed feeling like an idiot. The nurses got one heck of a good laugh from that when I told them the next time I saw them.

Fast forward two cycles. It is Friday, and I show up to work with my Neulasta on Pro. It was pouring that morning. I get in the office, turn off the alarm, and all of a sudden I hear what sounds like a fire alarm or CO2 alarm.

I walk through our little office building (a whole 600 to 700 square feet) We have a heat pump which is electric, so no CO2. I can't smell anything burning. Everytime I walk to one area, the sound bounced around and it sounded like it was coming from under the little building.

Talked to the owner, and he said check the sewage pump that pumps the sewage up the hill to the sewer system, it may have shut off. So out into the rain, the alarm light was not flashing on the pump. I even tripped the shut off, no still hear that alarm. The crawl space was open so I stick my head in, still hearing the alarm, but nothing under there. I close it and latch it.

After searching, I give up, and start my daily routine. One of the guys I work with came in and he did the same thing I did. Well, every time he came closer to me, it was louder. Again, I notice a reflection, the Neulasta light was flashing red, and I pulled it off. The damn alarm was the Nuelasta. Yep, they forgot to tell me about it.

Again, I was the nurses laugh for the day. One of them asked me - "Didn't you read the insert?" Why would I? I already know the side effects, and it wasn't my first time getting Neulasta. Which made them laugh all the harder.

To be honest, I laughed about both too. I don't mind that those stories are making other patients laugh, and the nurses too. I don't mind that anytime I tell the story, people laugh.

Laughter is great medicine. When you laugh, but even better when you make others laugh.

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