Sal had a good night. First, last evening a doc came and took blood and fitted a cannula in Sal's right hand. This is the side of her op and so shouldn't really be used for needles but Sal just couldn't face another try on the left so they decided it was worth the risk. This all went fine. So she has a working cannula again but it cannot be used for saline but as she can now keep water down the saline isn't needed.
The spin off from that is without the constant saline she isn't needing the loo so frequently and so it allowed her to sleep all night! Great. I slept better too last night. I think it is the fact that we have a plan now to see her through chemo with the Hickman line being fitted Tuesday (Sal's condition permitting of course).
Sal managed a sandwich last night too but it gave her bad indigestion BUT it stay down so that is a start.
They have changed the antibiotic again to one that is less aggressive on her digestion. Don't know the name yet. Will post it later after my visit. This new one is making her feel nauseous though so she is back on the Ondansetron. Balancing the drugs is like trying to balance a ball on your nose while trying to keep a load of plates spinning on poles. Concentrate too much on one and the others fall down.
So although still very weak she is in much better spirits this morning. I hope she can continue taking some food. She didn't fancy the breakfast offered and still feels queasy from the antibiotic but if she can get something today it will get her on the road to something approaching normality again.
Sal's temperature is still up though so she is still classed neutropenic septic so the barrier nursing remains. When this is in place the clean the room twice a day, and it is a deep clean every time. They clean every surface and item in the room, twice a day. It is quite incredible. Good, but incredible. I don't suppose they will do the Hickman line if she is still septic on Tuesday but hopefully by then her neutrophils and white cells will be up enough to get her temp down. There is still 3 more days for that to happen.
Wednesday is the earliest we can hope for her to come home and that is if her bloods are good and the Hickman line fitting doesn't throw up any issues. More likely later in the week IMO (In My Opinion).
My concern now then is that her next chemo is due just 12 days away and will she be well enough to have it. When we were discussing chemo beforehand, one of the things about it that has always been a bit of a comfort to us both is that we were hoping for a bit of a break in week 3 of each cycle to get out in our caravan for a few days and for us both to recharge ready for the next cycle. That doesn't look likely for this first cycle now but hopefully, the next cycle has a better chance. The doc has agreed to drop the Adriamycin altogether and she has been given an alternative to Ciprofloxicin. That combined with the Hickman line is all points toward cycle 2 being better. I hope so because it will be a very difficult time for us both if it carried on like this. Not to mention, I could break the record for blog posting so I hope it all calms down on the next cycle!!!
Thanks for reading.
