Chemo #5

Tuesday August 6, 1991

Off to Kaiser about 10:30 a.m. for chemo at 11:30. I was supposed to have a cat scan at 8:30 but we forgot to go pick up the contrast media yesterday so will have to reschedule. It will be August 20. I bring media home with me today. Chemo goes OK. They still have trouble finding a vein in my hand to put the IV into. The tranquilizer makes me so drowzy I hardly remember anything this day. I can't stay awake at all at home. We have a big lunch out so dinner is some cheese and crackers before bed.

I sleep very well all night but I do take the nausea medicine all night and tomorrow.

OK, so I thought contrast media was a strange term, so I looked it up on Wikipedia, which states that "contrast MEDIUM is a substance used to enhance the contrast of structures or fluids within the body in medical imaging. It is commonly used to enhance the visibility of blood vessels and the gastrointestinal tract." Barium sulfate is the most common type of oral contrast agent.

The most common tranquilizer used with chemotherapy is Lorazepam. It prevents nausea, the most common side effect of the chemo.