For the first time in 14 weeks this chemotherapy has knocked me for a loop. On Sunday I had been feeling tired for most of the day but I thought it was because I had overdone it yesterday with helping Sarah move. However, at about 6 pm, I started feeling a little chilled and not quite myself, so I went upstairs to take my temperature and to my horror it was 100.9!
I couldn't believe it and got my glasses but it still said 100.9. I knew that was not good because whenever I'm in neutropenia the nurses hand me an information sheet and one of the items on it is about taking your temperature everyday and if you get a temperature of 100.3, you have to call your oncologist. I waited about 10 minutes and it was still the same -- 100.9. I started to get anxious ... I did not want to go to the hospital! I wait another 15 minutes and then I take my temperature again and it has gone up to 101.3!
I am so mad that I am almost in tears but I know what I had to do. I put a call in to my oncologist office and get the answering service. While waiting for someone to call me back I back my overnight bag, and sure enough the doctor who is covering for my oncologist sends me to St. Mary's emergency room.
You hear all these horror stories of people waiting for hours in the emergency room but I was seen in less than five minutes. My white blood count had gone down to 0 and there was no way I was leaving that place. It isn't till midnight that I get to a room on the oncology floor. John goes home and I finally go to sleep at 2 am ... not that I get to sleep much. I wake up on the hour to go to the bathroom because of the IV drip they've got me on. By just after 5 am, I give up on sleep and get ready for the day.
I see all kinds of doctors who pop into my room but I don't see Dr. Schaffer and I learn later that she is on vacation. I still have a low grade fever but it's down to 99. I'm now on antibiotics and that infernal drip.
My fever is gone by Tuesday and my white blood counts are up but it is not where it is supposed to be and I wasn't getting out of there until my WBC reaches 5,000. I know my WBC would never reach that on its own and I will not take those shots.
When I think I couldn't possibly take it anymore, the hospitalist contacts Dr. Schaffer's office and I am finally discharged on Wednesday. My absolute neutrophils are 0.8 and while that does not meet normal standards, it's good enough to release me because that is normal for me. I should be able to function quite well at that level with the usual precautions that I usually take.
The needle has been left in so my infusion today went very quickly. We were out of there by 1 pm ... yippee!
I hope that this is the only bump in my chemotherapy journey and that this was my "when it rains, it pours" moment. It was just one of those times when I was in a vulnerable place ... sad from the loss of Cloudy and on a downward spiral from the TCH.
Next week is my last TCH infusion and the week after that is when I have to be so incredibly careful. I don't know if I can do this again.
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