Well, they didn’t let me go home. Infection markers going through the roof meant I was admitted into the acute oncology ward for 72 hours of repeated infusions of antibiotics by IV. On the plus side I had a single en-suite room, because of my neutropenic risk, with a glorious view out over the city and the Solent. I got to see the wonderful pink full moon, and stayed in cool air conditioning through some of the hotter days of this summer. The antibiotics gradually brought my infection down, and the pain also came down.
I never got full clarity on what had happened. The cultures taken from my blood didn’t test positive for any of the things they were looking for. I had no other symptoms other than the pain, not even a raised temperature. But my infection markers had gone dangerously high. The nearest explanation I have is chemo induced diverticulitis which led to an infection in my intestine. Following the pain for the source of the infection seems more likely than leaping around looking for something coincidental. On the subject of coincidences, I asked the oncologist whether this likely resulted from the switch to Paclitaxel, or whether it was coincidence. She was very clear it was the former.
After the 72 hours, they let me go home with oral antibiotics, which I have to take for 5 days. I feel the incident has really knocked the stuffing out of me. The pain is a lot better but I am not yet coping well with being out and about other than in short spells. I have to return to the day unit on Monday for further assessment and a decision on whether I am fit to have chemo this week, and if so, how to manage it (the second appointment which should have happened whilst I was in hospital was scratched, and I am told won’t be added on the end). To say I am anxious about this is putting it mildly. Whatever happens I got 4 cycles of EC in me without much incident.
