Hi Jenkesmom

If you are going with the cisplatin, taxotere, and 5FU, expect to be there a lot longer than 3 hours. Alex and I went through this identical induction. In Australia, there is quite a rigamarole around the cisplatin which I assume also happens in the US. Besides all the anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory meds that go through, there is also a lot of fluid and Alex had to pee a decent amount (less than a litre but right up there) before they let him out.

They also decided that the first round, Alex should stay overnight in case there was a reaction.

My recollection is that the cisplatin alone was around 4 hours by the time they had done blood tests, hydration, pre-meds and then wait for Alex to pee. Taxotere was about an hour and 5FU was a doddle - hook it up check the flow and off you go home. We had to go back at day 2 for a refill as the casette that held the 5FU was old and small. This may not be required for you.

The order for the day was sign in at 8am and get blood taken. Present to cancer day centre (12A) get an apple juice out of the fridge for Alex (to help with the peeing later). Chat to the nurses about health, weight diet etc until bloods came back (about an hour). Get hooked up to pre-meds, and taxotere for about an hour, do hydration via IV in addition(1 litre) to 6 tetra packs of apple juice orally then cisplatin, then pee. By this time it was around 2-3pm. Hook up to 5FU out of there at 3.30 and try and beat the traffic.

Alex was very very scared before his first chemo and could not even read the pamphlets they tried to give him. The next morning he was literally bouncing off the walls. When asked how he was feeling his reply was that he was feeling like a "box of birds". I remember it well because I had never heard him use that expression before.

I think a combination of relief, hydration and the knowledge that we were doing something to fight the cancer contributed to his well being. This lasted for a couple of days before his lung collapsed (separate to the cancer but possibly loosely related to the chemo). The expected effects from the chemo started at the end of week 1. Thick stringy mucous, nausea and bone deadening fatigue. Lasted a week and then started feeling better for a week. And then start all over again.