Tough week

This has been a tough week.  Last Friday, I felt the worst I'd felt since I started chemo. I ached all over and had a slight temperature.  I stayed home, hoping I'd feel better by the end of the day.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.  I took a nap in the afternoon and woke up with a fever.  When you're a cancer patient, a fever is bad.  We'd been advised to call the office if I ever had a temperature above 100.4.  After my nap, my temperature was jumping around, but ranged from normal to 102.  I called the oncology office and got the on-call doctor (it was after 5pm on Friday).  Bad timing, I know.

The on-call doctor, who was not my regular oncologist, said I needed to go the E.R. so they could check me out.  He wanted me to go to St. Joe's, not Redwood Memorial, because I was a cancer patient.  He said Redwood would probably send me to St. Joe's E.R. anyway.

We got there about 6:45 pm.  I'll save you from all the waiting time and details, but they ordered blood and urine tests, and a chest x-ray.  The chest x-ray was to rule out pneumonia.  My temperature was 101 when they checked it.  Once we got into a room, they started me on IV fluids while we waited for test results.

The E.R. doctor said I was "neutropenic" which essential means that I had no white blood cells and therefore had no way of fighting off any infection.  They couldn't find that I had an infection, but they started me on IV antibiotics in case something was lurking.  The doc said I needed to be admitted to the hospital until my WBC (white blood counts) came up.  We asked a LOT of questions to make sure it was truly necessary.  I wasn't very happy having to stay.  I'll admit that my eyes leaked a little. I just wanted to be home in my own bed.

We finally got transferred to a 2nd floor med/surg room about 1am.  Not quite sure what took so long.  I fell asleep while we were waiting.  We were able to get a <insert sarcasm> super comfortable recliner for Andy to sleep in.

I ended up being there til Monday about noon and the days kind of run together.  Luckily (and painfully) they had accessed my port in E.R. so I could get fluids and antibiotics through it, and have blood drawn from it.  I felt better started Saturday so it was just a waiting game for my WBC to come up.

We went for walks in the hallway every couple of hours.... dragging my IV pole along with me.  Must've been quite a site.  One time we got to go without the pole and it felt like something was missing.

The oncologist came by each day.  He offered an injection that would help with my WBC.  I was a little hesitant at first because it can cause flu-like symptoms, body aches, etc.  I was scared about that, but I decided to bite the bullet and just do it.  The injection is called Neulasta and it goes in your belly.  That freaked me out too.  It wasn't really that bad.  It just goes in the belly fat and it's a small needle.  So I got one injection on Sunday afternoon and another one on Monday before we left.

My husband is amazing!  He stayed with me each night.  The only time he left was to run home to get stuff and see the kids, and to run to Ramone's to get me mexican hot chocolate and a scone.  He slept in a squeaky recliner.  He's a much better nurse than I am.

I'll admit it was kinda sad to spend Mothers Day in the hospital.  The kids brought us breakfast, and my parents came by, so that helped make it a little better.  Maybe I'll get a do-over Mothers Day.

Hopefully this will be the only time that this happens.  I'm getting a preventative Neulasta shot next time so that should help.  That was my first overnight stay in the hospital (except for having babies).  The nurses were amazing.  The food wasn't too bad.  But if I never stay there again, that's just fine with me.