The day that felt like would never come, is finally here. Today Sean starts the battle to fight pancreatic cancer with his first chemotherapy cycle. It’s been a very emotional couple of days and we are very anxious to get things started.

We woke up this morning or rather I should say we just got out of bed because we didn’t sleep a lot last night. Everything today starts at 630am and I was so afraid of sleeping through the alarm. Sean said he didn’t sleep either. His mind was racing with what is actually going to happen today. I also had so many unanswered questions about this whole chemo process:

• How does this port thing work?
• Does radiation coursing through you veins hurt?
• Are the doctors and nurses nice?
• What if something happens that stops the chemo treatment?
• Will we be in a private room or in a mosh pit of people?
• Will there be a place for me to sit while Sean is getting treatment?
• Will I get to stay with Sean during treatment?
• Will Sean be in pain?
• How long is the entire treatment?
• Will Sean be able to eat?
• Are we in the right place for treatment?

You can now see why I didn’t sleep much last night ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Our first appointment today is for blood work. This will always be our first stop before each chemo cycle begins. The blood work was really easy and then we had 2 hours to wait until chemo would begin (remember it’s 630 in the morning. No docs yet). Sean is suppose to fast before the blood tests so after the test was finished, we took advantage of the break and went and grabbed some breakfast. Getting food during this pandemic has been challenging but the restaurants in Jacksonville have been wonderful. We ended up going to IHOP and we had the most scrumptious pancakes and eggs. It was so nice to see Sean hungry and eating. We enjoyed our meal and then it was time to head back to Mayo. Time to get this started.

Will we be in a private room or in a mosh pit of people?

We were led into the Chemotherapy area and I was shocked at how big it was. 75 dedicated rooms just for chemo treatments, 6 or so rooms for blood draw, 2 nurses station and about a bagillion nurses on staff smiling and waving hello as we walked through the doors. I’m not sure what I expected but I didn’t expect smiles. It was such a pleasant surprise and a welcomed one as well. Just walking in the doors, the nursing staff turned a really bad and difficult situation into something positive. I will talk more about the nursing staff but for now I just want to say thank you for everything that you do, for us and for all patients.

Will there be a place for me to sit while Sean is getting treatment? Will I get to stay with Sean during treatment?

We were led to our room, Room 15, and inside was a nice full hospital bed, a chair in the corner for me and a big TV on the wall for Sean and I to watch if we wanted. The room was spacious and really nice. A lot bigger than I thought (it was big enough for a dance party, just saying). We settled in and waited for the nurses.

Are the doctors and nurses nice?

The first nurse, Brett, came in and he was so funny, personable and lovely. He was making jokes and talking to Sean like he was a friend. My fears were slowly melting away seeing Brett interact with Sean. I cannot say enough good things about the staff interactions at Mayo, even with the current COVID-19 climate.

How does this port thing work?

After all of the introductions were out of the way, it was time to get started. This will be the first time Sean will have his port accessed. Just in case you were wondering, because I didn’t know this, a chemo port can be accessed as soon as it is placed. That was interesting to us because we thought the port incision had to be healed before accessing (now it’s gonna be hella painful because surgery and all but it can still be used right away).

Ok, time for the port access. I will let Sean talk about the actual feeling but OMG, the insertion of the port needle looked so intense and painful. I didn’t expect it to be so forceful. You know how in pole vaulting, the runner runs down the lane with the pole vaulting stick and then shoves the stick into that little pocket on the ground so they can then propel themselves into the air…ok, now picture that little pocket is Sean’s port and the pole vault stick is the needle. Yikes. It hurt me and it didn’t even happen to me (Sean said it hurt so bad he had to restrain himself from his knee jerk reaction to punch the nurse in the face. It was poor Brett btw 😂). The biggest thank you to our cancer warriors Lori and Chaz for bringing us numbing cream for the next appointment. The numbing cream will be put on as we travel to Jacksonville and then Sean will be all numbed up for his chemo cycle.

Does radiation coursing through you veins hurt? Will Sean be in pain?

With the line in place, it was time to start the chemo process. Brett started explaining how there will be a pre-cocktail mixture before the actual chemo drugs. The pre-cocktail will be a mix of anti-nausea meds and pain meds. All of these should allow Sean to feel good while all the major drugs are flowing through him. The pre-cocktail mix was added and then we were told that we would be waiting about 20 minutes for everything to get through Sean’s system. Brett left and I looked at Sean and the relief you could see on his face was great. I could tell he was worried about the chemo hurting and having this pre-cocktail of meds reassured him that this is not going to suck as bad as he first thought.

Brett came back in and started the chemo drugs, turned out the lights and then I watched Sean slowly slip into a peaceful slumber. Now we haven’t slept much the last few weeks and it was nice to finally see Sean resting…and he was out. I was so thankful that there wasn’t any pain with this process.

How long is the entire treatment?

The treatment length was interesting. Each chemo drug had a certain time it took to administer (sorry I don’t remember the exact timing. I was extremely exhausted and my adrenaline was on empty). The first one took around 30 minutes. There is a timer on the IV machine and it beeps when it is finished. Sean had a brief rest period after the first round. The second round was next and that took around an hour. There was a rest period after that. And then the third round was about 2 hours after that. Overall the entire administering of the chemo drugs wasn’t long at all.

Will Sean be able to eat?

If you were wondering about Sean using he bathroom or eating. The cool thing about having the port is that Sean’s hands are free. He can scoot his little IV station around and use the bathroom, walk around or get some food. They have a snack room for patients and their guests, which is really cool. Unfortunately during these times of COVID-19, the snack room isn’t freely open. You simply tell a staff member what you would like and they go grab it for you. Helps minimize the germ spread. We had the yummiest turkey sandwich and chocolate chip cookies.

Sean and I had the best lunch. It was almost like we were eating on the Lido Deck (that’s where the buffet is on a ship if you were wondering). We were laughing about the morning, we were talking about the procedures and we even gave a turkey sandwich cheers for Instagram. The situation and location may be different but we are always “Sean & Stef” no matter where we go.

What if something happens that stops the chemo treatment?

After lunch, Sean laid down and went back to resting while his treatment was winding down. I was sitting on my little chair, half asleep, when Sean jumped up and started telling me something was wrong. He mentioned that he thought it was his sugar so I quickly pulled out the testing kit. We did the sugar test and it was on the high side (248). Not life threatening but enough to make you feel yucky. I told Sean to hang on and I went out to talk to the nurses about Sean’s sugar. I explained the situation and they came back to the room to check on Sean. By the time we got back to the room, Sean was soaking wet in sweat. Something was definitely wrong. I sat down on the bed with him, hoping I could calm him down just a bit. The next 5 minutes were a whirlwind of blurry nurses. Nurses swirling around the room doing what they do best, helping a patient in need.

Sean was having a rough time at this moment. He thought he was going to throw up, he was hot and sweaty. I will never forget the look in his eyes. I was so scared and I had no idea what was happening.

But I didn’t have to be scared for too long (remember this all happened in 5 minutes but it felt like everything was going in slow motion). Brett and 2 other nurses were swirling around the room, almost like a really pretty dance routine. One would go over. One would go under. And 5 minutes later, Sean was sitting there like nothing had happened. So what did happen? Sean had a bad reaction to the very last three minutes of the final chemo drug. Brett explained to us that Sean’s body basically had enough and it let them know. It wasn’t an allergic reaction or anything, it was Sean’s body saying “that’s enough for today”. Brett explained that this happens occasionally with first time chemo sessions. Not often but it does happen. He said that next cycle they will adjust Sean’s pre-cocktail mixture to help alleviate these specific symptoms.

Are we in the right place for treatment?

At that moment, with Brett telling us about the reaction, I knew we were in the right place for Sean’s treatment. Watching the nurses work should have been dizzying but for me it was very comforting. I was comforted in the fact that these nurses have had so much experience with chemotherapy that they didn’t hesitate one second to help Sean. They knew exactly what was wrong and what meds were needed to correct the situation. So to answer the question, we are definitely in the right place!

Final Moments of the Day –

After the main chemo treatments, Sean was outfitted with a portable chemo pump that will pump another chemo drug into his body over the next 42 hours. The pump fits inside this little fanny pack. Super easy. We strapped the pump on and we were out of Mayo around 2pm. Not too shabby. In at 630 and out by 2pm.

Time to head back to the hotel and sleep for the next 2 days….