May 1, 2026 - Day One of Chemo - The Fight Begins

May 1, 2026 - Chemo Treatment One

We started chemo today. The specific regimen, for those who know more about this than I do, is as follows:

  • Irinotecan 243 mg in D5W 500 mL IVPB

  • Oxaliplatin 138 mg in D5W 250 mL IVPB

  • Leucovorin 648 mg in D5W 100 mL IVPB

  • Fluorouracil (Adrucil) 3,888 mg in sodium chloride 0.9% 230 mL, ambulatory pump

I’m in the process of trying to understand what exactly these scary‑sounding medications are supposed to do to the tumor, but based on all the things they gave her to counteract the body’s reactions to them, I’m pretty sure they’re every bit as intense as they sound.

All in all, the five hours went reasonably quickly. The infusion nurse, Marissa, was a wonderful combination of clarity, cheerfulness, and patience. She made sure we knew what to watch for with each new bag she hung, and let us know which reactions she could actually do something about. I worked on my laptop while Tami found a semi‑comfortable position in her chair and dozed through much of the time. We also got a primer on how to disconnect and reconnect the IV pump from the electrical cable, and we logged plenty of steps towing her IV pump back and forth to the bathroom every 20 to 30 minutes.

The surprise bonus of the day was a visit from a fellow caller, Becky. By day, Becky is a FedEx driver, and she happened to be making a delivery to the hospital, so she stopped in to say hi. We also ran into an extended family member, Rick, who was getting an infusion that day, along with his wife, Marcia. Seeing him was a much‑needed example of what things can look like when treatment goes well — he looks truly great. So, all in all, not bad at all.

Take‑Home Chemo

In fact… we had such a great time, they sent us home with the “home game.” The words ambulatory pump in the final item on the list above indicate take‑home chemo. The delivery device is actually pretty cool. It looks a bit like a lemon and pumps continuously for about 46 hours, shrinking as it empties.




Since the PICC line is on the left side, the pump sits on the left as well. Tami has given the shrinking pump the nickname Lefty Lemon. I’ll disconnect the pump on Sunday (May 3) afternoon and flush the PICC line with saline once it finishes.

Side Effect

Not surprisingly, even with the staggering amount of anti‑nausea medication they provided, Tami’s one side effect today has been nausea and vomiting. Otherwise, she tolerated the treatment well. I hope the tumor didn’t.

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