Every Cancer Caregiver Needs To Hear This Story About Chemo

In this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes., I’m sounding the alarm for caregivers walking the brutal line between cancer treatment and pain management. This one is personal. My husband had just been prescribed opioids for pain. And nobody gave him any additional or alternative instructions for days he had chemo. No one warned us about side effects chemo has with Oxy.

This episode outlines the fourth, and last time Gavin would do chemo. He refused it after this day.

During chemo, I couldn't wake him. But I knew something was wrong. He sounded different. His breathing was different. I told the nurse something was wrong but she just laughed and said, "Oh he's just out of it."

But when both his chemo bags were administered, she couldn't wake him up. She went and grabbed her boss. And the boss couldn't wake him up. They stood above him, shouting at him. "SIR. SIR. GET UP NOW."

I started slapping his bare belly. Picking his legs up and dropping them. Nothing. No response. He was breathing but couldn't wake up.

"We call this 'snowed,' the boss nurse said with a smile.

I was faced with gut-wrenching choices: have him admitted as an overdose patient, have the chemo nurse put him in unbearable pain with Narcan—or pray he could sleep it off.

I got him to open his eyes and his pupils were little dots. He looked miles away. But I chose option three. They helped me get him in the car. That night was terrifying. What followed was detox, trauma, and a complete loss of trust in his care team.

This is the story I wish I had heard before it happened to us. If you’re a caregiver or someone in treatment, please listen. This isn’t just an episode—it’s a warning sign.

Connect with me if you're on a similar path at www.carrieseverson.com or instagram.com/authorcarrieseverson/